


Those Who Fight

by K_Marlowe



Category: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, BAMF Alec Lightwood, BAMF Magnus Bane, Bodyguard Alec Lightwood, F/M, Isabelle gets both her men, Jace isn't a bad person, M/M, Malec, Multi, Polyamory, Prince Magnus Bane, Shy Alec Lightwood, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22168168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_Marlowe/pseuds/K_Marlowe
Summary: Alec wanted to live simply, to fight for his family, and protect the human world. He didn't think the old debt would be called in that he, along with his sister, Jace and Clary, would be called to serve the Eternal Warlocks of the High Court as their bodyguards. He especially didn't think he could find anything in common with a magical being that had ruled over the City for millennium.For Magnus, the warriors of the human world were violent and confusing, however, something was changing the delicate balance of power in the magical world and the new Guards might be the key to stopping it before it's too late. He was determined to convince them to help, or maybe just one in particular.
Relationships: Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Isabelle Lightwood/Raphael Santiago, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood
Comments: 39
Kudos: 199





	1. Chapter 1

Alexander Lightwood understood most forms of pain. It had been part of his training, but the pain he felt as he left his home behind was knew and deeper than he had ever before experience. 

He refused to look back as the black unmarked car that had come to pick them up left the walls of the Sanctum and entered the hectic city beyond. If he looked back at the place that had been his home, all he had ever known, he was afraid it would damage the strength he had been building up over the last few days. Ever since, he along with his sister, Jace, and Clary had been chosen to enter the Eternal Palatine and serve the high court. 

When the Eternal had risen up from their realm of magic there had been little that could stand in their way. They had come from beyond the realm of remembrance to change the course of the war. 

Their magic had stopped the world from burning but, as with all things, there had been a price. The Eternal had decided to stay and with magic and immortality no one could stop them from taking what they wanted.

Everyone in the mortal world knew this, but rarely did it affect them. Their lives were a tiny blip for the Eternal and they had little that could interest them. This was true for all except the Shades, holy warriors who had fought for humanity during the war. Carrying magical blood, they had stood between the mundane humans and the shadows during the war. 

Every Shade child was taught about the war. They were told of how the demons had agitated the vampires and Fae into a war against the human world. The Shades, as shifters between the world of shadows and mortals, were on the front lines of human defense.

Many had died, on both sides, traditions and sacred ways had been lost and the ground itself had been scarred as the fighting had burned everything it touched. Among the Shades an extreme sect had separate from those fighting to protect the human world and conducted a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the shadow world even those who had not taken up arms. In response the Shadows drove humans to the edge of extinction. 

In the darkest hour, The Eternal came out of the veil and joined the humans, tipping the scales and creating an uneasy peace. It helped that vampires had realized the extinction of humanity would mean an end to fresh blood and the Fae had no desire to spend their immortal lives away from their comfortable realm. So the mortal world had settled, but after the dust cleared the Eternals had decided to stay and preside over the mortals they had saved. 

They had provided peace, their warlocks of nature had poured magic into the earth breathing life back into it, but there was no doubt that humans and Shades alike owed them a debt, a debt they could never pay. For the Shades, it meant acting as Guards for the Palatine, the Eternal high court. They had to send their best to protect their overlords. These warriors had to protect the Eternal with their lives and serve as generals when the Eternal chose to put down unrest. It helped that living among their magic meant that these Guards, the Light Guards, were giving longer life. But this was sometimes more of a curse, as unable to return home they watched the world they knew crumble away and their loved ones perish. 

For all the young Shades no Guard had been chosen for centuries. The prospect of leaving the Sanctum for the High Court wasn’t even a possibility, it was a story told to them before bed. While each one of them was taught the confusing court etiquette, it felt more like some tradition from a bygone era than something that would ever be needed. 

That was until the call went out, before it came down from the High Court, from the Palatine itself. The Light Guards were dead and now it was time for another offering. The paying of the blood and flesh. 

Alec understood the honor of being chosen, this meant he was one of the best of his kind, but it also meant he would probably never see his family again. Max would come of age, grow old and die never seeing him again. This thought made Alec grit his teeth, he couldn’t think about that, not now. He had to focus on what was to come. 

He had never been to the Palatine, the large palatial complex up on the hill overlooking the city. It was warded and belong entirely to the Eternal beings who had lived for centuries if not millennium. This thought made Alec feel sick. These where the people who had so casually come to the mortal plane to rule, even after thousands of years they were still removed from all that made up humanity. While the Shades were often charged with a callousness when it came to protecting humans and Shadows alike, Shades at least lived among the people they protected. 

The Eternals in their ivory tower took what they wanted and gave little regard to the lives that were so fleeting to them. He didn’t know what the court would be like, he had met general warlocks, magic users who didn’t have the high kind of magic that was in the royal bloodlines, but even these common Warlocks had been cold and detached, uninterested. Alec could only imagine how the older and more powerful of the species would behave. He clutched his Stele as if the small piece of home could somehow protect him from the foreign world he was about to enter. 

“At least we are together.” Izzy’s soft voice cut through the silence in the car. 

“They might choose to separate us. Have us serve in different areas of the palace, we have no idea – this could be it.” Jace spoke with bitterness even as he took Clary’s hand weaving their fingers together. 

Alec knew it was a blessing that they had been called together, he loved all the people in this car he would die for them. But he was being denied that right, now he would die for one of the rulers of the Palatine, a faceless immortal. 

“We will take what we can, never give up.” Alec spoke soft like his sister, but everyone listened. “Solum Datur Illis Qui Pugnant Ei.”

They nodded at the sacred words and all took each other’s hands making a solemn oath to never give in. They didn’t break their connection until they had passed through the many barriers and entered the gates of the Palatine.

* * *

Magnus was not someone to be taken lightly, so the silence that had met all his inquiries about the Light Guard’s deaths meant that something truly powerful was behind this. That considerable shortened the list of candidates and he hoped dearly he was wrong.

“Greetings Prince.” A joking voice cut through his thoughts. He looked up to see Catarina and Ragnor, both High Magic Users and two of his closest friends. 

“Greetings my ass.” He responded, unable to stop the smile from stretching across his face. They were all old, but unlike many others in the Court they enjoyed the mundane world. Catarina, who was a practitioner of Bone magic worked as a medic and Ragnor, always the academic, gave lectures at the human university. No one in the city knew who they were and they liked it that way. 

Magnus was the Second Prince of the Palatine, an honorific like most things in the Court. Since they didn’t fight anymore there was little chance of him being called on and with very few Warlocks procreating, there was no threat to the status quo. That was one of the many reasons he had joined his friends in the City below. There he wasn’t a Prince but a socialite and philanthropist, owner of a night club and fashion icon. 

“So brother.” Ragnor spoke with some censure in his voice for the crass language. Ragnor was often grumpy but it was all part of his charm. “Have you Fae spies revealed anything?” 

In the world of the Palatine everything was decided by power and bloodline. Every member of the court could trace their origin back to a higher being. They possessed the highest form of magic, which could manifest itself in one of three ways: Leads, which was a power of influence and manipulation, Bone that could be used to knit people together or tear them apart, and Nature, which tapped into the earth and lent itself to powerful spells.

Magnus was an enigma in that he had an affinity for all three, but he favored Nature. Leads magic was more attuned to the rulings of the court but it was unsavory to Magnus and it made him think of his father, which made him decidedly uncomfortable. Bone magic took concentration and training that he had never enjoyed, besides Nature magic had always felt right. It also gave him a closer connection to the Fae who were creatures of Earth magic. He didn’t love this addition, but sometimes it was useful, such as when he needed information on the strange deaths of the Light Guards who had been guarding them for centuries. 

The four guards who had died had been the Royal protectors, the personal bodyguards of Magnus, Ragnor, Catarina, and Raphael. It seemed too convenient that when the High Four of the court started to question the decisions of the Palatine, their Light Guard had all been summoned on a secret mission from which they hadn’t returned. 

It had been a blow. Not that they were particularly close with their guards, despite the centuries Magnus could barely recall any real conversations with any of them. The Shades were a strange species, blessed, or cursed, by magic and trained to be lethal in every sense. The magic in their veins allowed them to be impervious to most magic a gift that made them obviously useful to a place as conniving and dangerous as the Palatine Court. Their deaths had left the four exposed to magical attacks and harshly punished for asking too many questions. Death was an extreme and foreign thing in a court of immortals and while the guards had been practically strangers, Magnus felt something akin to grief when he thought of how he had failed to protect them. Guards came and went, he was old enough to be rather flippant about the lives of mortals, but he had never seen them so casually and viciously cast aside.

“They are still looking, but I keep hitting stone walls everywhere.” Magnus looked away from his friends back out the window. 

“It looks like their time is up.” Catarina spoke with a soft tone as she touch him on the arm. They all worried about the arrival of the new Guards, it had been a long time since a new Guard had entered the Palatine let alone four as once. Now especially with growing danger in the High Court, Magnus faced the prospect of a true stranger by his side with a sense of dread. “We must consider my proposal.” 

“The Guards have always been separate from us. Even through the centuries we know so little about them, that’s because they protect the secrets of their world as a point of honor. All we know is they are proud and ruthless, violence is all they know. They have always seen us as dictators of sorts, that doesn’t exactly engender good will. What makes you think they will listen to us?” Ragnor directed this at Catarina, but it was an old argument.

“Time is different for mortals, you know that Ragnor.” Catarina respond, turning to face him. “Generations have passed since a new Guard has been called. Things may have changed, just as humanity has changed.” This too was an old argument, one that would be settled soon. 

“We may have no choice but to try. The Court isn’t as it was, we all can feel it. There is foreign power affecting the land, our magic itself. All we know for certain, is that the old Guards got too close to something, something that we sent them to discover and it got them killed. These new Guards, they will have no idea the danger around them. What is more, they may be persuaded by this new force, if we don’t change our ways and start making real connections with these warriors.” Magnus paused on this. His Guard Underhill, had been a hard man, through the decades they had hardly spoken. He had no idea how he was going to connect with a species based in blood and seemingly devoid of feeling. “We all must try.” 

The deep knell of the Court Bell disturbed their conversation and called all the courtiers into the great hall.

It was time to meet their knew Light Guards, and try to gain something close to trust before whatever dark power was growing was unleashed on them all. 


	2. Chapter 2

Magnus put on his best disdainful look as he entered the Great Hall. The world of the Court was a battle fought on many fronts, showing too much was always dangerous. This point was made when Camille, a practitioner of Blood magic, appeared in the corner of his vision. Blood magic came from the land of the dead, vampires who had powerful magic. She wasn’t a normal resident of the Palatine and her presence here could only mean trouble.  
  
He took his place on the dais, on a golden throne simple in its appearance, but directly connected to the nexus of power upon which the Palatine was built. Magic was found in everything, but because the people of this world had built monuments and endowed them with meaning there were certain places which attracted and expelled magical power. Ley lines connected all these sites and sometimes when several lines converged a nexus was created. The Palatine was created upon the most powerful of these, a nexus of Ley lines that ran from such places as the Pyramids of Giza, Acropolis, Walls of Babylon, Vatican, Mayan Temple of Kukulcan, Stonehenge, and everything in between. Magnus constantly felt the swirl of energy beneath him, and when he sat on the throne he could feel the beating heart below him reach up and coil itself around his magic, bonding with him.  
  
He sat with his siblings; his father’s throne remaining empty as it had for centuries. Next to the platform, Catarina, Ragnor and Raphael, took their place ready to greet the new additions to their world.  
  
The Court was packed with all the High Warlocks who so often traveled between the realms or secluded themselves in the huge estate. Magical visitors, and mortal no less, were a cause for excitement. There was a certain amount of romanticism attributed to the Guard. The idea of a short life spent as valiant warriors lent itself easily to epic poetry that the Court ate up. It helped that the Guard were often silent, stoic, and beautiful.  
  
Magnus had read some of the dime novels, they were enjoyable but highly unrealistic. The idea of a cold, aloof Guard falling in love with an Immortal being, trusting him completely, and then finally, overcome with love making the ultimate sacrifice for him? Ridiculous, he had lived with a guard for most of his life and couldn’t tell you anything personal about them, down to their favorite color.  
  
“To the Grand Eternals of the Palatine, Greetings from the Land Below.” The Cryer, a Fae pixie who announced anything significant called from the Doors of Mars. The excited murmuring that had been filling the Great Hall immediately passed into a barely contained silence.  
  
“Enter Travelers of the Light and rest at our hearth.” Magnus’ sister Lilith spoke her voice clear and cruel as always. With the greeting etiquette finished, everyone turned their eyes to the old wooden doors. How fitting they should enter through the doors of the war god Magnus thought as four figures appeared cloaked in a robe of a deep blue almost black. Their faces covered by the silken hoods, they moved slowly forward sinking to their knees, hands over their hearts.  
  
Having spent extensive time in the City, Magnus could truly understand how ridiculous all these traditions were. Over the last hundred years, he had learned more about mortals and he could newly appreciate what the Guards gave up when they entered this ancient world. It was so far removed from the thriving, lively metropolis below them and he wondered, for the first time, about the lives these faceless figures before him had left behind. Did they have family? Even this cold species of blood, must have something they held dear. It shamed him that he had never considered before that the silence of his Guards might have come from sorrow.   
  
“Call and be named, Guardians of the Realm.” Lilith drawled her attention straying to one of her many lovers in the crowd. Her tone may be flippant, but Magnus knew nothing escaped her attention especially if it would give her power over someone. She practiced Lead Magic and she wielded it with a ruthless, warped mind that would make their father proud. He knew that she had some evil part in the strange power growing in the Palatine and she would look for weakness in these new Guards. If she found any leverage, she would use it to bring them to her side or kill them.  
  
First, Ragnor stepped forward.

“Jonathan Wayland, I call you.” He spoke clearly and at his words the first figure rose letting the cloak fall to the ground. Beneath, there was a young man, blond with sharp features. He was attractive, handsome in a way that did not speak to Magnus, but he had no doubt several courtiers were already planning countless new romances with blond heroes.   
  
“Clarissa Fairchild, I call you.” Catarina stepped forward, and a small red head was revealed. Then Raphael called a dark-haired woman who looked defiant as if ready for a challenge. Magnus felt a strange thrill as he focused on the last figure still shrouded.   
  
“Alexander Lightwood, I call you.” The final figure stood and unrobed to show a young man, tall, pale, and beautiful. The paleness of his skin seemed to work in perfect harmony with the darkness of his hair, but it all ended for Magnus when he saw his eyes. The young man looked at him with an impassive gaze, but his eyes, they seemed to change color as Magnus watched originally appearing hazel and then the next a sharp piercing blue. He wondered dazedly if it was some kind of spell.

These fighters were peculiar to Magnus in many ways. He was naturally curious and he hated that so little was known about them. Since Warlocks had come from the old land, a world that had become eroded by decadence and whose natural magic had been exploited until there was nothing left, they had lived apart. During the War, they recognized the skill of these Shadowhunters, their danger, and finally their usefulness. The Eternals had never fought alongside the mortal warriors however, and the secrets of their kind had been fiercely guarded. When the war had ended, the victorious immortals had demanded tribute from those around them, including the life of this beautiful man who now stood bravely before him. 

This Alexander, tall and fine, was wearing all black like the rest of the new Guard. Magnus had always thought it strange that they marked their bodies, discoloring it with some form of ink. The symbols that adorned Alexander were barely visible to him, but there was one that snuck up his long neck and allowed Magnus to explore more diligently his powerful frame. It was clear that he was completely made of muscle and Magnus had to rely on centuries of learned behavior to keep his expression unappreciative and disaffected.   
  
Magnus felt his magic reach out for the man in front of him. Reacting in a way that he hadn’t experienced in almost a thousand years. He had almost forgotten how his magic could flow out from him without his command and wrap itself around someone, delicate like an embrace. He was shocked as it met this stranger as if he was an intimate friend, a lost part of him.   
  
He pulled it back violently, not letting anything show. He turned to Lilith, a bored look on his face to rival hers praying that she hadn’t sensed anything, but knowing he would never be that lucky. .  
  
“All have been Called.” He drawled.  
  
“Then see that they follow.” Lilith responded without taking her eyes from the latest dalliance that in another moment she would sweep away to her bed. As she rose, the courtiers bowed and she raised her hand, letting out a shock of magic the blessing the bonding that would connect the Guard’s with the specific magic of the Eternal. This allowed the natural gift of the Light Guard to protect their charge with immunity from most dangerous spells and jinxes.   
  
“Be at peace.” She sighed and with a flash, she was gone.  
  
Magnus tried to calm his heart as he approached the mortal Guardian, along with his closest friends, each stepping up to these children who would die for them. They each placed a hand over their Guardian's heart pushing a little piece of their magic into them. 

Magnus felt the uncomfortable moment his hand touched the young man before him. He had only done this a few times over the countless years, but increasingly it made him uncomfortable. Magic was personal, it was specific to each individual, while the Guard were not Eternal or Warlocks, they carried magic as well. The union of two magical beings always held a certain amount of intimacy, to do it without consent increasingly felt shameful. All of the High Four had discussed in increasingly over the last hundred years as they became more aware of the Mortal world. The elitism of the Eternals meant that they didn’t think of the forced bond as invasive but a gift. 

However, as he touched Alexander, his chest firm and no doubt exquisite, Magnus felt the desire to whisper an apology as he sent his magic into the younger man’s heart. Immediately, his magic wanted to pour into the Guard, the pull he had felt from the throne more extreme. His magic wanted to climb inside this Alexander and live there. He was thankful when it was completed and he could take a step back. Trying to clear his mind of this weird enchantment   
  
“Let us leave this place and learn of each other.” Each offered a hand to their Guardian. Magnus was surprised to find that the warrior’s hand was warm, larger than his, calloused, emblematic of a life spent in action. He wished he could find those enchanting eyes again but now that he was so close Alexander averted his gaze. Magnus reminded himself that this was a species of limited feelings, the intensity that he had sensed in him, the vulnerability must have simply been a reflection of his own. 

* * *

  
Emotionally, Alec was somewhere between finding a dark place to cry and fighting to the death. He had been informed that he would be bonded to the Prince, one of the original Eternals who fought in the War. He had to hide behind a cold stone exterior when he was informed, by a small pixie with bright blue hair, that he would be marked by ancient magic and bonded to a stranger. This was the final blow. He didn’t know the exact movements of the Palatine, but he did know that the older the crueler. Any hope that he had of being able to somehow see his family again seemed to shatter before him. 

He had been startled by the appearance of the Prince. He knew that the Eternals were beautiful, but this seemed excessive even for them. He had looked up to see a man with long legs regally if not lazily draped over a gold throne. The gold seemed to enhance his perfect bronze skin and glittering dark eyes. Eyes that had taken in all of him in a way he had never experienced before and probably never would again. This Prince of the Palatine was wearing blue eyeliner that sparkled with the glow from the magic orbs illuminating the room and everything about him seemed to ooze a self-confidence that made Alec almost jealous.

He had been surprised by his attraction to the immortal. He knew he was gay it wasn’t something he questioned, but when the call came down it all but ensured his celibacy. He hadn’t thought he would be fighting a blush even as anger rose at the obvious ambivalence of the man who now owned him. 

He chest tightened as he thought of the rest of his life spent in silence, only able to steal moments with his siblings. Would he forget how to laugh? Would at some point, maybe after centuries, silence be all he was?   
  
Shades were taught how to lock down their emotions. It was the only thing that kept them sane sometimes. Alec tried to hide himself away, there was no turning back now. However, was it his imagination or did the gaze of the Prince seem to send warmth through his entire body. It was strange, but as he drew closer, Alec had to look away afraid that if he continued to look at the immortal he would show how deeply he was affecting him. 

The Prince placed a hand over his heart, and he was sure he could tell how fast Alec’s heart was racing. It made Alec want to turn away, regardless he was happy he could control the blush rising on his cheek. Even the intense connect he already felt for the Eternal, didn’t stop the twinge of sadness when the foreign feeling of magic entered him. While it was gentle, almost tender, it reminded him that this man owned him now, body and soul. He would never see his family again. 

This thought settled into him as he followed the Prince to his quarters. He lost Clary, Izzy, and Jace into the crowd of immortals, who all stared as Alec passed, some even reaching out to touch him, before Magnus sent them a dark look. Warning them off his property, Alec thought bitterly. Now, he would learn how idle and useless he would be, standing in front of a door for hundreds of years. 

Magnus led him into an extravagant room. Like every other aspect of the Palatine, it had vaulted ceilings and beautiful gold filigree that complimented the walls that all seemed to be hand painted with murals from their old realm. It was all beautiful, but it made Alexander’s heart yearn for the simple, utilitarian Sanctum with its bare walls and plain furnishings.   
  
“So Shadowhunter, I don’t know how I should address you.” Alec was slammed back into the present by the Prince’s soft voice. He was surprised to hear the old name for his kind, they had been called Shadowhunters when their people were still one in the days of the War, before the Valentine Sect had radicalized. It was a reminder of how ancient this being was despite looking not much older than Alec. What surprised him more, however, was that the Eternal Prince addressed him directly. He was supposed to be a living weapon, a thing of use, not of conversation. He blinked once, twice. Should he look at the Prince? No, he couldn’t handle that. What should he say? They had told him to remain silent, to be practically invisible, and avoid interacting. Now, the immortal Prince of the Eternals, who was supposed to ignore him in all ways, was what? Trying to strike up a conversation? Alec tried to fight back the panic.   
  
The Prince sighed moving from his side and pacing to the window. Retreating deep into his mind, Alec observed the immortal clinically. He was beautiful, but his beauty hid almost bottomless power and Alec wasn’t foolish enough to been bewitched. Even as he felt a strange bond, he pushed against it desperate to remain in a place he understood. He couldn’t act as a human if he did this captivity, this life, would drive him insane.   
  
“Alexander Lightwood, my Light Guard, I command you to speak.” Alec was once again surprised, now by the sudden harshness in the Prince’s voice. Regardless, Alec sunk to his knees at his words and presented his stele.   
  
“What do you need of me, Eternal One.” Alec was glad to be back within the power structure for which he was prepared. He didn’t want to be tricked by the silver tongue of the immortal, especially when he didn’t yet understand the game. Suddenly, he felt warm fingers grip his chin forcing his face up towards the fathomless eyes of the Prince.   
  
“Things are changing here, warrior of shadows, and not for the better. There is no more room for silence.” Alexander almost lost his balance at the feeling of the immortal’s touch. While firm, it wasn’t bruising, which was more than he expected. He was further confused by a strange intensity he found on the Prince’s face. Alec quickly felt the heat in his cheeks rising as the moment stretched on. He had never been so close to anyone this beautiful, his interactions with new people were usually brief and held none of this intensity. Clearly, this man wanted him to say something, do something, but his mind was a blank. He wanted to shift away, to retreat back to something he understood, but he couldn’t do that anymore, his will didn’t matter. Instead, he had to figure out how to escape the situation without angering the man who would decide the quality of his life going forward.   
  
“Man-handling won’t earn you trust, Magnus, but it’s an interesting tack.” At the sound of a voice from the door, the Prince released him, the moment shattered. Alexander almost gasped in relief as he was able to turn his face away, trying desperately to return his heartbeat to normal. 

“Ragnor, you always come at the most inopportune times. But, because of my strength of character, I continually find reasons to forgive you.” Alec heard Magnus speak with a warmness he didn’t think to find in the Palatine. He knew that Warlocks were capable of connections, maybe even love, but it was strange to imagine it here in such a cold and removed place. 

He felt Jace, his blood brother, enter the room. Alexander sensed his presence and it calmed him immediately. He wanted to turn and face him, to rise from the floor and wrap his brother in his arms, but he couldn’t, not until Magnus allowed it, and that made him angry. 

“Where are Catarina and Raphael?” Magnus spoke to Ragnor, but his words made Alexander’s head snap-up inadvertently. The action was not missed by the Prince who turned to him, with an interested smile. 

“Ah, that got a reaction. Raphael’s Light Guardian, Isabelle Lightwood, shares your name. Is she close to you Alexander? Or do Shadowhunters not form such connections?” The Prince’s words caused a slight twinge of fear in Alec’s heart. He ignored how the Prince had drawled his name, but he had exposed Izzy, shown that he cared. This was power that the immortal could use, power over Alexander at Izzy’s expense. The Prince must have seen some of the fear on Alexander’s face because his features softened turning into something curious and almost kind. 

“Don’t worry young warrior, I have no intention of doing harm to any of you. You are safe with us. I pledge on the life of my mother.” The strange intensity was back in the Warlock’s gaze, it reached right into Alec’s soul, maybe it was the magic bond he thought dazedly. 

“How noble my lord.” Ragnor’s voice broke through the moment. “You always make things so complicated. I’ve just been talking to Jace here and he said Alec, Izzy and Clary, are down to figure out what the hell is going on here.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope people are enjoying the story! I know it's a little out there, but hey this is Fanfiction.


	3. Chapter 3

Alec slowly rose from the floor at the Prince’s gesture. His eyes found Jace’s, desperate to hold onto something he could understand. Nonverbally, he was able to read Jace’s expression. His brother was calm and while he too was sensing the strangeness of the circumstance, he wasn’t yet ready to go on the offensive. Alec wished he could speak with him, free and open, find his footing. But there was something wrong and he didn’t want to show too many of his cards before he understood what was expected of him. 

“It seems you have been busy. How did you crack through the stone?” Alec felt the Prince’s sidelong glance, but he had his armor back in place and he remained impassive.

“I tried blunt honesty. It seemed to have an impact, didn’t exactly break through the dam, but I’m not sure how much water this one holds to begin with.” Ragnor said, a smile on his face that Alec couldn’t decide if he hated or not.

“Are we done with this metaphor?” A woman’s voice joined the conversation and Alexander turned to see the others of the High Four in the door, Catarina and Raphael. Trying to remain still, he looked passed Raphael at Isabelle and Clary standing in the doorway. Catching Izzy’s dark eyes, she also communicated wordlessly. She was alright; she was glad to see him. His heart swelled, they were all together so soon, this was more than he could hope for.

“Nice of you to make it.” The Prince reached out a ringed hand ushering them into the room. Alec watched as the rest of the Eternals and their Guards entered the room. The Prince moved with grace, but attuned to the characteristics of urgency Alec could tell there was tension even in his easy actions. What was happening? Why would they gather like this?

With a snap of his fingers, the Prince was suddenly holding an orb of light. He felt the anxiety that flashed through his blood bond with Jace, even Izzy was suddenly on edge. Their world held magic, but beyond their ancient runes and the magical neutralizing power that they harnessed, it was usually a threat. Magic was something dark and sinister, a force that lurked in the darkness waiting to vent rage against innocent humans or a defiant Shade. It was natural that they would immediately be on Guard. It was strange to Alec that while he was aware of the shift in energy signifying magic, the golden sparks that seemed to match the Warlock’s eyes, didn’t alarmed him. He recognized a silence ward and the energy held none of the fickle danger of the Fae or the sinister intent that surrounded demons.

Alec could remember the fear of his first demon. He had been seven, young for a Shade to take a mission, but his father always pushed him to go faster first. He hadn’t thought of his father for a while. They had parted years ago. Robert had issues with his sexuality and the strength that Alec found in protecting others. He couldn’t understand why Alec would be happy to support those around him, to lead from the rear.

Still, the lessons and traumas his father gave him on that first mission were never far from his mind. His first demon had been a lower level specimen, but with horrible teeth dripping poison. It appeared out of nowhere and latched onto another Shades arm almost tearing it from his body. For a seven year old, the screams of that man were always the voice of caution when planning a dangerous mission.

Alec shook himself from disturbing memory as the High Four gathered around their leader. They were each beautiful, almost ethereal. It made Alec feel self-conscious, they were all vibrant colors and easy-living, while Shades were black and blunt, scratching out a life from the streets of the City that teamed with ignorant humans and hungry demons. 

Jace shifted closer to Clary. Alec could feel his need to touch her, it made Alec grieve for his brother. Through their bond, he could sense the purity of his longing. They all felt it, somehow it was harder to be in the same space and have to act as strangers.

“Our kinds have never exactly seen eye to eye, even when we fought together, it was never side by side.” The Prince began to speak, whatever the Four had been discussing they apparently had come to a conclusion, because they each crossed to the various seats that dotted the room.

“We know that you live in the Sanctum, a magically protected place in the heart of the City. The times I have been there have been brief and highly monitored. You work in the shadows between the human and magical worlds. I don’t pretend to understand your way of life. I know you were blessed by an ancient being of this land, but we know very little about what and when.” As the Prince launched into his speech, Alec felt more comfortable. It felt like he was at a mission briefing. This was an area he understood, he leaned forward listening intently. All the Guards remained standing, but shifted into parade rest, soldiers ready for their orders. “You may be wondering why so many Guards died all at once.” 

“We are still wondering that ourselves.” Raphael spoke from the window seat. His body language was disaffected, but his voice was bitter.

“The truth is the placid surface of the Palatine has always been an illusion. But most of the motion from below was internal feuds and ill-fated love affairs. However, for the last few decades there has been a shift in the core-power structure of the Palatine.” The Prince paused for a second as if unsure whether he should continue. “Last time we sent our Shadowhunters in blind. We don’t know what happened, but each one of us felt the breaking of the Guard Bond.” Alec saw something that could have been pain twist across the elegant features of the Prince before he continued. “We regret their deaths and want to ensure that doesn’t happen again.”

 _Not to mention, we are your magical bodyguards and without the Guard Bond you are open to a magical attack._ Alec thought darkly. It was like speaking to the Fae, Seelies or others of the faery folk, it was full of half-truths not quite a lie. He reminded himself that these were immortal, invaders. Foreigners in their world, that is what they were always told. He would be a fool to look for common ground with Prince Magnus Bane, first son of the Palatine.

“Where did you send them, my lord?” Jace’s voice cut through the silence left behind by the Prince’s words. He was always the most daring, proud and brave. Alec couldn’t help but shoot him a look of caution healthily seasoned with admiration. He was the golden boy, and now he stood perfectly erect, tagging the ‘my lord’ onto the end as an afterthought. Many would call him haughty, many would be right, but to Alec Jace was more than his first love, he was his best friend, his brother. While he had his faults, no love was complete without compromise.

“We sent them to the Cyclops.” The answer to Jace’s question came from Ragnor, who seemed amused by Jace’s boldness.

 _Cyclops._ Alec had loved the stories of the ancient beings when he was a kid. Back when the dangers of the world weren’t real to him, Magic was a thing of wonder. Cyclops were old beings of the earth. They weren’t seen in the human world anymore and most mortals had forgotten about their existence. Every Shade learned about how they came into the world, how they gave up an eye in order to see the future. But they were tricked. In the end, they only gained the ability to see their own future, only the day of their death, whatever being had made the deal had a cruel sense of humor. Now they lived below volcanoes, forging things from earth and magic.

“To the forge below Etna? Were they eaten by the giants?” Jace spoke again and Alec wanted to kick him, anything to get him to stop. They were going to cut out his tongue. He sent a warning through their bond and under his gaze he watched Jace relax his pose, appearing less antagonistic. 

“Hmm, he is a chatty Cathy.” Raphael pipped in again from the window seat.

“We encourage speaking here, Raphael.” The Princes soft but intense response was clearly aimed at Alec and he once again felt the flush of heat making its way up his neck. Why did his silence seem to bother the Prince so much? He genuinely was more content to listen, he wanted to learn quietly before he entered the conversation.

“Yes, we sent them to Italy. We had a note from the Cyclops that they had seen an event. A day of death they all shared. They were afraid to speak of it through a messenger and wanted us to send an envoy. We only meant to send two, but for some reason Lilith, my dear sister, insisted they all go.”

“What did they say? Did they report back on why the Cyclops were scared?” Isabelle spoke, but she directed her question at Raphael, an appraising look in her eye that Alec didn’t appreciate.

“They were scared for themselves, _Guerrera_. Death is coming.” Raphael replied seemingly just to her. 

“There report back seemed to confirm that a catastrophic event was coming, a death day that all the Cyclops shared. We haven’t heard anything definitive from other species, but it seems all magical creatures, even indigenous to this realm, have felt something dangerous developing.” Magnus continued as if uninterrupted. But Alec was somewhat distracted by how Raphael’s dark gaze stayed on Izzy for a few more moments before shifting back to the Prince. 

“We mean to figure out what is happening. What calamity is approaching and avert it. Unfortunately, there are very few people we can trust and almost all of them are in this room.” The Prince cast his eyes around the room, and Alec appreciated their inclusion. While he wasn’t naive enough to think there was trust between them, they were treating them as, if not equals, contributors who deserved at least a conditional seat at the table. It was much more than he had expected. “For some reason, people within the Palatine want us to fail.”

Alec sensed pain in these words, but he couldn’t spend too much time thinking about the immortal with the dark golden eyes. Instead, he needed to focus on the mass shifts that continually seemed to happen in their lives.

* * *

Magnus’ skin felt itchy. After the Shadowhunters had retired to their rooms, presumably to discuss Magnus’ words and whatever else they did, he felt uncontrollably restless. He wanted to be moving. Would they support their efforts? He knew that the knowledge of the Shadowhunters was a missing part of the puzzle. They were incredibly ignorant when it came to these warriors, it was infuriating

“These Guards are different than the Shadowhunters who came before.” Catarina spoke first as she reached out and took Magnus’ hand. She could always sense when he needed something to ground him.

“That is true. By comparison they are practically social butterflies.” Raphael said walking from the window to join the group that was situated in front of the grand fireplace that was burning with dark blue flames, which worked to chill the room.

“Speak for yourself. Mine seems to remain a strict adherent to the unapproachable, proud doctrine that seems to define their species.” Magnus couldn’t get the image of Alexander’s blank resolute stare out of his mind. He had wanted so desperately to see the magic in his eyes, some of what he had seen during the bonding. 

“You are being unfair Magnus my dear.” Ragnor chipped in. “You have forgotten what it is like to leave behind everything you have ever known. Remember how it felt to cross the veil and then maybe you will be more forgiving of his silence. Besides, why does it bother you so much? He reacted to your words, which is decidedly more than Underhill ever did. These are children of a species that has advanced 500 years since we last met them. We’re the ones who are stagnant, part of an old world.”

“Don’t get too serious on us Ragnor, we aren’t your students.” Raphael pulled on Ragnor’s hair playfully. “Magnus is just being pissy because he thinks this Lightwood is pretty and he’s upset that he can’t have him.”

“No I’m pissy because the world seems to be spiraling out of control. People have died. Let’s not forget how high the stakes are. It may have started with the Light Guard, but if what we know is correct than the end will be all our deaths. To make matters worse, we have to partner with a species, a people, who have never trusted us and seem forever untouchable.” Magnus said in a decidedly pissy tone.

“Maybe we should have told them everything we know.” Catarina looked around the room as if to gage the effect of her words. “How can we earn trust if we give none.”

“I think we’ve given enough. Until we know them better.” Raphael sounded more serious as he turned to focus on Catarina. 

“Get to know them? We aren’t going to be friends. They are a means to an end.” Magnus’ words sounded harsh even to him, but he was disturbed by what the Cyclops had told them. Telling the story to the Shadowhunters opened the wounds, it reminded him about the desperate message that had woken him. The last words that he had heard from their Guards before he felt a piece of his magic die. The piece that had lived in Underhill’s heart.

“That’s a bit Spartan.” Catarina added softly withdrawing her hand.

“I know, but we have to proceed with the lowest expectations. If we overplay our hand. If we trust them too much.” Magnus let the sentence hang in the air. Undeterred Catarina spoke a calm rebuttal.

“But if neither of us start to cross this divide between our races, it will only lead to misunderstandings later. Before they came, we promised each other at least provisional transparency, that we wouldn’t completely own their wills as we did with their predecessors. Are we not even going to tell them our plans? Of the Pythia? We are just going to walk them through a portal, powerless to decide their path?” Catarina’s voice had grown more impassioned as she spoke. “We are all learning more about this world by living in the City, maybe these Shadowhunters have more human in them then we would like to imagine. If we find that they think and feel like the people we have met in the City, it would mean we have treated these Light Guards in an unspeakably cruel way. I am the one who works nursing the injured and sick. I see death in a way that the Palatine and Eternals have forgotten. I see the mourning of the families who are faced with loss. To think that we separate this warriors from all they love and then send them callously to their deaths.”

“Sweetheart, peace.” Magnus rose pulling Catarina into a hug. She was right. They each had been grappling with the disturbing thought that these Shadowhunters might have suffered long before their deaths. That they had been willfully blinded made Magnus feel sick. “I will go in the morning and inform them of our plans. I don’t think we can show all of what we know yet, but they should know about where we are going.”

Magnus had a fitful night after the conversation he had with the Light Guards and his friends. He felt agitated like he was trying to find a way to protect everyone from hurt and he kept failing. His mind continually returned to how Alexander’s head had snapped up when he had mentioned the Guard Isabelle. How he had controlled Guard Jace his eyes flashing only for a moment. Magnus couldn’t deny that he wasn’t an emotionless thug like he tried to convince himself. He had heart and respect from his fellow warriors.

Magnus rose early, preparing himself for his meeting with the Guard. Usually a pixie would be sent with the message of a meeting, but under the guise of cementing their magical bond, he had sealed his quarters of from the rest of the Palatine. The truth was he didn’t want any spies of Lilith, or his father, to report back on what the errant Prince was up to.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had gone to the Shadowhunter’s rooms. There was no grand law saying that Warlocks couldn’t stray into the world of the warriors. It simply wasn’t done, and in the Palatine etiquette ruled supreme.

The designs became simpler as he reached the bottom levels. Into the world of the Light Guards, a world that was a simple living room with the rooms for the four elite Guard. Being for the High Four, they were separated from other Shades and warrior classes. Their rooms looked out on a courtyard that Magnus now crossed. He realized that it must be used for training, there were all manners of weapons decorating the walls.

The Runes that were burned into the warriors flesh were also found here and there and Magnus wondered at their significance. What could they mean? He wished they knew anything about this species. It wasn’t entirely their fault. It was no accident that Warlocks and Shadowhunters hadn’t fought side by side. The Earth warriors had snubbed the magical interlopers, foreigners in their world. It was a slight that the Warlocks had not forgotten when it came time to assert their rule. While is seemed cruel now, demanding their children to grow up inside the Palatine as bodyguards, had seemed just.

Ragnor’s words rang in his ears as he picked his way around the various tools of war that he didn’t understand. _These are children of a species that has advanced 500 years since we last met them. We’re the ones who are stagnant, part of an old world._ He was holding on to an old hurt, a hurt that predated Alexander’s great-great-grandparents by centuries. Still a person doesn’t forget the feeling of being lesser, of being unwelcome in every sense of the world. As if there was something in his genetic make-up that forever excluded him from calling this place home. Even when they had been fleeing a dying world, even when they had given their blood and sweat to ensure the continued existence of this land and its people. They had been treated like second class citizens.

He knew he could never forget, not fully. But he needed to not fall into the trap of absolutism. He wasn’t angry at all Shadowhunters and he couldn’t hold these new Guards accountable for the sins of their forebears. Maybe a blank slate was in order, not blind trust, but a chance to discover this species anew.

As if in answer to this new resolution, his thoughts were disturbed by the sound of laughter. It wasn’t that the walls of the Palatine were unfamiliar to the sound, but this was different. It was pure, open, unrestrained. There were so few children, youths of any kind in the Palatine that this sort of uninhibited emotion was rare.

He followed it into the building on the other side of the courtyard. Magnus was completely unprepared for what he found. The owner of the laugh was Alexander and the cause was the brunette woman, Isabelle. Unless he was very much mistaken, it appeared they were locked in a tickle fight that Alexander was sorely losing. They were both in the main living area, entangling on the couch, as the other two warriors looked on with a bemused expression.

More than the ridiculousness of the scenario, it was the expression on Alexander’s face that seemed to short circuit Magnus’ mind. He was a different person. His features were overcome by emotion, a unfettered happiness that started with a goofy smile and reached into the depths of his eyes. Magnus didn’t need to practice Lead magic to see the love between these two, he just didn’t understand it. 

And in his confusion as his brain tried to process what was happening, Magnus kept coming back to his smile. He didn’t know Shadowhunters could smile, let alone that it could be so beautiful, intoxicating.

He let out a soft cough, loathe to ruin such a tender moment, but he did have important business to discuss. As soon as he made a sound, four sets of eyes snapped to him, but Magnus only cared about one pair.

As soon as their eyes met, Alec’s expression dropped and his fair complexion did its best to turn into a tomato. All movement stopped and Alexander swiftly stood, donning the appearance of the stoic warrior Magnus was accustomed to. Could it be he was shy? It would have been a preposterous thought ten seconds ago, but now it seemed obvious. Was he simply introverted? Could that be an explanation for his silence. Instead of the aloof, elitism he had taken it for? 

“Greetings Shadowhunters. I hope you slept well, because we have work to do.”


	4. Chapter 4

Time seemed to be speeding up. Alec had spent his whole life training and studying, scratching out a life for himself. He learned the rules of his world, enjoyed some of the freedoms of the City, but always lived within the boundaries of his understanding. Change was usually brought about by an attack, or a death. Change didn’t come in the form of the complete corruption of every rule he had been taught. The very ground moving under foot.

Ironically now that he occupied a place devoid of conventional time, he felt time flying by faster than ever before, bringing change with every passing second.

“So what do we think?” Jace was looking at Alec and he could feel the other man’s uncertainty as clearly as he felt his own.

“They are definitely hiding things from us.” Clary spoke from beside Jace, her fingers interlocking with his. “They didn’t actually say much.”

“I agree. There is definitely more around the deaths of the old Guards.” Isabelle was next to Alec. They were all sitting in the main room of their new home. They had all been relieved to find it simple and neat, lacking most of the grandiose ornament of the rest of the Palatine. It made them feel slightly more relaxed.

After, leaving the Prince’s rooms, they had walked in silence until they found the simple area that would be their only sanctuary in this strange place. Now, they were trying to parse out what they had learned. Trying to decide what was expected of them.

“It is ridiculous that the Cyclops demanded an in person meeting just to reiterate what was said in the first message. There must have been more they don’t want us to know.”

“They obviously don’t trust us. That’s to be expected. My only concern is whether this is a trap, some kind of trick.” Alec spoke up for the first time, voicing what was on his mind. “We don’t know that much about these people or their kind. We don’t know about the nature of the Palatine and the power structures. They want it to appear like we are being included in the decision making process. But they didn’t exactly outline any solid plan to discuss. There were no decisions to be made.”

“They want us to feel involved, but they are still our masters. That is the true power structure. Even if they told us everything, we still wouldn’t have a choice. We are bound to them, and they know it. It is clear in their actions. They may truly feel guilty about what happened to the old Guards, but the truth of the matter is this false-transparency is dangerous. It’s dangerous because clearly they want us to feel closer to them, to trust them. That can only mean they need something from us, something we won’t want to give.”

“They said themselves that they don’t know much about our kind.” Clary followed Alec’s speech with a carefully measured tone. “We all know what the Cyclops forged. Could this shift in magic have something to do with the sacred instruments?”

Alec looked at the red-head across from him. She was smart and resilient. She tempered the rash, selfishness that sometimes got Jace into trouble. She spoke now with the forced calmness that she used during a mission, when Jace was considering doing something brave and stupid.

“It would make sense. Why else would the Light Guard go without their Masters?” Alec felt sick. The magical objects formed from sacred metal were feared and respected in the Sanctum. The had terrible power and for that reason they had been sealed away. Their location intentionally lost, to save even the protectors from themselves.

Later that night as he laid in his bed, Alec ran through the rest of the conversation in his head. They had all agreed to support each other, to find out as much as they could from their Eternal and report back. The Prince had seemed genuinely concerned by the shift in power. Shade’s magical power didn’t come from the earth so this didn’t have the same effect on them nor could Alec sense anything amiss. Still, if someone as powerful as the leader of the High Four was worried it was worth some thought. 

Still, Alec didn’t enjoy feeling like a pawn in a game he didn’t understand. Worse the stakes were already clearly laid out, with the death of the previous Light Guards still hanging heavily on this place that had been theirs. Alec didn’t like feeling vulnerable, helpless. It made him feel moody and restless. This was an emotion that followed him into the training area in the morning.

The other’s recognized his mood and gave him a larger birth as they each did their usually morning warm-ups. It was only after a warm shower that Alec started to feel the storm clouds lift. 

“Hey sour-puss. Could you stop the doom and gloom? Whenever you’re in a funk it always makes Jace do this little grimace and I’m afraid he’ll get wrinkles.” Clary’s annoyingly cheery voice sang from the kitchen area as she approached him pushing a cup of coffee into his hands.

“What has you so chipper this morning.” Alec responded with a moodiness that was more for show than genuine.

“Oh come on big brother, everything seems better in the morning.” Izzy joined Alec on the couch jostling him a little as she sat. “Besides we are all together. It’s clear that, even if it’s a manipulation, the Eternals are going to allow us to see each other often. It’s like we are on an undercover mission. From the inside of the Palatine, Four Shades fighting against the oppressors!” Isabelle could always make Alec smile and he couldn’t fight back the grin that broke across his face, even when she put her smelly feet into his face.

Unable to back away from a challenge, Alec placed he coffee cup on the table readying for an all-out assault.

It was a perfect moment. It felt like they were back in the Sanctum. Jace and Clary laughing from the kitchen, while Alec and Izzy dueled on the couch. For just that moment, Alec thought maybe everything would be fine. They would be together, stealing moments like this, and protecting each other from the unknown.

Then there was a cough from the corner. Alec looked up, straight into the eyes of a smirking Eternal Prince.

He felt his face flood with heat. The illusion of a safe place was shattered as he jumped to his feet. The Prince had seen everything. He had seen him acting like an idiot with his little sister. It made him want to crawl into a cave and stay there for the rest of his life. The Palatine with its grand rooms and exquisite furnishings, was populated by immortal beings who were beautiful and powerful. The Prince was the epitome of both of these things. He was gorgeous, all bright colors and tailored lines. His make-up, which had surprised Alec at first but now seemed the perfect accents to his flawless skin, was elegant. This world that made Alec feel so uncomfortable, out of place, was this immortal’s playground.

He could only imagine what he thought of Alec after this display. It showed him uncomposed, acting like a fool. It was strange that the Prince’s opinion should matter to him, but even if they could never trust each other. Oddly, Alec wanted to at least have his respect.

“Greetings Shadowhunters. I hope you slept well, because we have work to do.” The Prince’s voice was playful, but Alec still couldn’t bring his eyes up to his face. He felt sure he would find ridicule there and wasn’t sure he could take that.

Alec didn’t know what to do. He was standing in a parade rest. Should he sit back down? Stay standing? He heard the Prince cross in front of him gracefully folding himself into one of the chairs across from the couch.

“I’m sorry to intrude on your private space. I promise it will not happen again, unless I have been expressly invited into your home.”

Still unsure how to respond, Alec was completely shutting down when he felt Izzy’s soft hand slip into his own.

“Come on big brother, let’s hear what he has to say.” Alec allowed himself to be pulled from his rigid stance back down into the cushions of the couch. Izzy seemed to be signaling that she was willing to show the Prince some intimacy. Emboldened, Alec raised his eyes to the resting Immortals’. If they were going to show the Eternals some of their vulnerability, of their truth, then he had to signal that he would defend it.

“Your eyes are enchanting young Shadowhunter.” The Prince spoke holding Alec’s gaze. Alec wondered if the immortal was poking fun at him because he had so resolutely avoided eye contact for so long. But before he could think more on this subject, Jace’s voice came from the open kitchen area behind them.

“Not to seem too impertinent.” He said sounding very impertinent. “But what brings you here? And what work do you require of us?”

Alec watched as the Eternal shifted his gaze to the other Shade. It allowed Alec a moment to once again take in the Prince. He glittered, shined even in this dull place. He seemed to be comfortable in any scenario, even at Jace’s snarky words all he did was smile, easy and light.

“I am afraid I wasn’t thorough in speaking with you yesterday.” As he spoke, the Prince brought his attention back to Alec. “You see, I am unused to speaking openly with anyone outside my closest friends. So I wasn’t as forthcoming as I should have been.”

Alec could see the sincerity in the man’s face as he spoke, but he reminded himself that even if he found his dark eyes calming, he still couldn’t trust him. He didn’t know what the Prince wanted, more importantly he didn’t know what he was willing to sacrifice to get it.

“First, I have a gift.” The Prince spoke and snapped his fingers producing a scroll of paper. Once again the surge of energy washed over Alec as if greeting him. He had never spent an extended period of time around Warlocks and he wondered as he watched the Prince easily snatch the scroll from the air, if all high magic felt this way.

“I’m sure you are familiar with Ley Lines. The magic that flows through the earth.” Straightening the paper out in front of the two Lightwoods, the immortal revealed a map of the earth crisscrossed with lines connecting dotted sites. Alec recognized it as a map of the Ley Lines, channels of power that connected the worship sites of Earth. Site’s that people throughout time had imbued with belief. Shades had a similar piece of work displayed in the main briefing area of the Sanctum.

He could see where many of the magic lines disappeared in China. In the ancient times, Geomancers, at the direction of the Emperors, had disrupted the magical currents to stop the earth magic ordaining an new Emperor to challenge them. That practice had widely faded now and some of the ley lines had been repaired, but there was still a roughly Eastern Asia shaped hole in the complex grid before them.

“As you know, the Palatine sits on top of the biggest nexus of Ley Lines on this Earth. This allows Warlocks to tap into the power of the earth. It also makes earth magic users very attuned to this planets magical essence. Long before we got a message from the Cyclops informing us about an oncoming calamity, I felt a change, a perversion in the earths essence. It has been building over the last few decades. It means that the balance between magic users is shifting. Especially for creatures of Earth magic like the Fae and Cyclops.” The Prince’s long ringed fingers started to lazily trace the lines leading to the Palatine. “Somewhere along these lines there is something dangerous at work. Something that is soaking up the Earth magic and replacing it with something tainted.”

“We need to find out which site it is, along which line. We need to consult the earth to get some clues as to who is behind this.”

“You want to go to Delphi.” Alec spoke, before he could stop himself. Maybe it was because he was in a place where he felt more comfortable, he didn’t know, but the words slipped passed his lips bringing the Prince’s attention from the map back up to him. He could see the surprise in his eyes as he seemed to look at Alec with a more appraising eye.

“Yes, I’m impressed. You beat me to it. You’re more than a pretty face aren’t you Alexander.”

Alec was very proud that he didn’t blush. He didn’t often get praise and he schooled his expression to ensure he didn’t look too pleased. He easily dismissed the ‘pretty’ as a quirk of the other man’s personality. He was sure it didn’t mean anything.

* * *

Magnus was sincerely touched by the display of affection that preceded his intrusion. With Catarina’s words fresh in his mind, he felt that he was meeting a completely different set of people. These were just like humans, people who would come into his club for a good time.

When Raphael’s Guard, Isabelle, put her brother at ease with a touch, it made his heart ache unexpectedly, as Alexander gave into his sister. Her words _big brother_ immediately put another piece of the puzzle into place.

This was tenderness, maybe even love. Definitely a connection that he did not share with his sister. He was lost in thought until Alexander’s eyes snapped up to his. The sharp intense gaze was mesmerizing. They were so clear and blue, flecked with a hazel he knew could play with the light turning them suddenly to a stormy grey and the next a deep hazel.

He couldn’t help but comment on them and was rewarded by a moment of fluster the disrupted the intense warrior façade. Being the cause of such a reaction made Magnus want to smile wide, unrestrained like Alexander had just moments earlier. 

He didn’t have nearly enough time to enjoy it, however, because Ragnor’s impetuous Guard spoke up, directing his attention away. He could still feel the Shadowhunter’s eyes and he had a strange creeping sense of discomfort. Shadowhunters were unostentatious creatures. Magnus wasn’t self-conscious he knew he looked good, but it struck him that to these ancient warriors his appearance could be jarring and distasteful. The thought that Alexander might find him distasteful, made Magnus feel disquieted in a way it shouldn’t. 

Magnus turned away from this downward spiral and focused instead on the task of explaining to the lovely Light Guards what the next step was. He didn’t know how they would feel about him coming into their rooms. As soon as he had neared, he had instantly regretted it. They only had so much time away from their duties. There was a reason why Eternals didn’t venture into their space, more than the natural separation between the species. It was a twisted kind of respect. A feeling that the Guards should have one place that was their own. It was a small kindness, but one that Magnus realized, as soon as he saw the siblings interaction, was most precious and to be respected. He should have simply waited for them to be called to service later.

But in a selfish way he wanted to see their world, even within the Palatine. In the short period of time they had been his world, he could tell they were different than the old Guard. He sensed something that made him want to push and investigate. Especially his Guard who seemed to hold some bewitching power over him.

He was surprised when Alexander’s voice cut through his rather awkward lead in. He was genuinely impressed, this Shadowhunter seemed full of surprises, first humility, now brains. Magnus wasn’t one to hold back praise from someone who deserved it. The surprise that flashed across Alexander’s face didn’t allude him but he decided to let it pass.

“We wanted to give you time to settle in, but it seems right that you understand what we are planning. We needed to know where this disturbance is and Delphi is connected to the very core of the planet. I will be able to channel the power and hopefully find some answers.”

“We don’t need you to play act democracy. We understand that we are here to serve. Settle in? Why wait for us to settle in, we aren’t going to have a say one way or the other. Today or next week what is the difference?”

“Jace.” Alexander’s voice had deepened with an authority that Magnus hadn’t expected. It made his heart constrict, producing a strange ache he couldn’t identify. Why did this man affect him like this?

“Please forgive Jace, he never learned manners.” His Light Guard continued as he leaned forward towards the map and Magnus. “His point is valid though. You Four have already decided to go, while we thank you for your consideration. The fact of the matter is, we will have to accompany you one way or the other. If this disturbance is as great as you say, swift action seems more favorable to any shows of kindness. Do we agree?”

Magnus was aware of the other Light Guards nodding in response to his question, but he didn’t take his eyes off Alexander. This was all very interesting and he felt suddenly that he was living in some parallel universe. Just two weeks ago, this scene playing out in front of him would have been preposterous, bordering on ridiculous, and yet here he was. Here he was sitting in front of four warriors, Shades, a species he clearly didn’t understand but one he increasingly wanted to.

“Very well. We can depart as soon as this afternoon. I have instructed all of the Palatine to not disturb us for the full evolution of the moon. My wards are in place. We should be able to leave without anyone being the wiser. How long do you need to prepare?”

At his questions, Alexander rose respectfully as if falling back into his role as Magnus’ Light Guard. “We are ready now, Prince. We have not unpacked.”

“Perfect, come to my rooms in two hours and we will plan our next move.”

Magnus walked somewhat dazedly back to his wing of the Palatine, back to the splendor of the Eternal’s world. He still couldn’t pin down what he had just experienced. In the end, he had to force that smile from his mind. If he tried any harder to untangle Alexander in his mind he would go insane.

He sent a message to the other of the Four. Telling them of the change in plans.

“Magnus, I know you have made up your mind. But I am worried.” Catarina had come to his room before the decided time and was now sitting across from Magnus, a look of earnestness on her face. “You are incredibly powerful, but to channel the power of the Oracle for a question of that magnitude. We don’t know what that will do to you.”

Magnus heard the slight crack in her voice. They had hotly debated whether they should go to Delphi. It was dangerous to take in that much magic and it had killed many a Warlock and unsuspecting human. In the end, they had no other choice. Magnus would be a fool not to be worried, but this was a risk he had to take and he couldn’t spend any more time on fear.

“I know sweetie, you’re right. I don’t know what will happen, but I trust you, Ragnor, and Raphael. If anything goes wrong. I will make sure it wasn’t in vain.”

“Nothing is worth your life or your sanity.”

“My life against all other magical creatures of this Earth? It’s close, but I think the scales just barely tip in their favor.” Magnus gave her a sad smile, which she answered.

“This already sucks.” This came from Raphael, who entered the conversation gracefully as always. Ragnor followed him into the room, but said nothing.

“We all agreed that this was the only way to get the answers we need.” Magnus felt tired. Here they were having the same old conversations, but he knew it was their way of showing him they cared.

“Not to change the subject away from Magnus’ impending doom.” Ragnor sunk into the chair across from where Magnus and Catarina sat taking in the whole room. “But how are we going to keep the Light Guard from finding out what we have been hiding?”

As if on cue, there was a faint knock at the door and at Magnus’ prompting the Light Guard entered. Alexander led them in. Tall and lean, in his signature black, he was wearing light tactical gear. More striking was the bow strapped across his back the dagger at his hip. He looked fierce and powerful, more comfortable than Magnus had ever seen him.

An intrusive thought snuck into Magnus’ mind, _it would be a shame if I died before I learned more about this man._


	5. Chapter 5

Magnus was comforted by the appearance of Alexander. He had a presence that strangely commanded Magnus’ attention, directing him away from his destructive thoughts.

“My dear Alexander, how appropriate you came with the arrows of Apollo. You look like the sun god himself.” Magnus allowed his eyes to take in all of the hunter. Alec’s confidence gave his already beautiful features an almost ethereal glow and Magnus wondered again at the power of the Shadowhunters. Was it something arcane that gave this man such a commanding aura?

“Are you ready my Prince?” Alexander’s voice was detached, but Magnus was completely consumed by the addition of the possessive. It probably didn’t mean anything, but it made Magnus’ heart beat a little faster.

“Yes, your timing was perfect. We were just talking nonsense here anyway.” Magnus didn’t miss Raphael’s eyeroll at his words, but he had to make light of the situation. It kept him sane.

“My lord, what can you tell us about what to expect?” Alexander’s deep voice was clear, with the careful respect that irritated Magnus to no end. It was so far from the laughing man he had seen downstairs. Magnus usually hated the Shadowhunter’s warrior persona, but it looked good on Alexander. Still he wanted to see that easy, relaxed person who had been so honest in his happiness.

“I will create a portal to the Temple of Apollo. There shouldn’t be any danger. No one knows we are going to be there and I have put an aversion ward around the area so there shouldn’t be any tourists.” Magnus kept his tone light as he looked at each of the young Light Guards who now stood beside their bonded charge. “Once there I will conduct the summoning of Pythia. Hopefully, we will get the answers we require and be home before tea time.”

“If it is so simple then why are all of the High Four going?” The younger Lightwood was just as beautiful as her brother and no less smart Magnus noted as he looked into her dark eyes. It was a little unnerving to see such intelligence looking back at him, instead of a stone wall.

“I believe my sister is suggesting that things might be more complicated and if so, we would like to understand.” As Alexander spoke with that calm authority, Magnus started to fear that he might have underestimated all of them. These were different creatures altogether than the polished marble who had been by his side for the last six hundred years. The Warlocks had wanted to allow their new Light Guards more autonomy, but they had never accounted for the effect of time. They hadn’t calculated their own stagnation against the evolution of a species that could let old ways die along with their practitioners. There was a turnover, a change from generation to generation. It baffled Magnus to think about. Already it was becoming apparent that the small amount of freedom that the Eternals had portioned out for the Shadowhunters wasn’t nearly enough.

“Regardless, I would suggest that we go through the portal first to do a sweep of the area and make sure the place is clear before you come through.” Alexander spoke like a soldier. Magnus kept using the word Warrior, but it had no real meaning to him. Violence was such a distant memory to him, Underhill had carried a blade but there had been no occasion for him to use it. Well none that Magnus was present for.

It struck Magnus as these Light Guard started to prepare themselves, conversing in hushed tones over the map of Delphi, that despite their youth these warriors had seen blood. Facing his own mortality, Magnus could appreciate in a newer light, what they risked. But it was more than that, Magnus thought with a sickening plunge of his stomach. Was it a curse that had made the first Shadowhunter? Why else would they be forced to live so violently and risk themselves as mere children?

Magnus thought about all those silly novels written by courtiers who were consumed by lust. The Shadowhunter almost always died in the end, a sacrifice to love. The constant presence of death that surrounded beautiful, tragic characters was part of the fantasy. It made Magnus feel sick, why would they choose this life? Beautiful Alexander, with his tall grace and uncertain eyes that could sharpen to a knife’s point, why was his life laid at this alter? Condemned to live in service and die unnaturally? 

Shaking off these thoughts, Magnus rose making sure he had the simple laurel required for the ceremony. The delicate greenery was a reminder in his hand of what he was about to face. Nervously brushing his fingers over his simple white linen shirt, he looked up into a sea of blue.

“Prince, I will be by your side the whole time. I only want to know.” Alexander lowered his voice as he spoke, he drew closer to Magnus causing the immortal to actively fight his growing desire to reach up and touch the taller man’s raven hair. “I know you said no one will be there. However, I am aware that the Temple of Delphi is very important as an access point to the earth’s core. Although not on a major Ley Line is it possible that someone will be able to sense a disturbance and be drawn to our location?”

“Oh my sweet Alexander your concern is touching. It is also a very good question. There is no need to worry for your intrepid compatriots. I will be tapping into the ancient power that comes up from the center of the earth, not the Ley Lines. Therefore, there is no chance for someone to sense us.” Magnus wasn’t usually drawn to men who were taller than him, but the feeling of Alexander’s presence, the incline of his head that brought a little intimacy into their conference, was something that he could get used to.

“If you insist on using my first name, you should call me Alec.” The taller man must have felt the intimacy because he straightened even as he addressed Magnus with something that was dangerously close to a conversational tone. 

“But I like Alexander, it’s such a pretty name. If you don’t mind that is?” Magnus wanted to step forward, to place himself back into Alexander’s personal space, but he didn’t. There was a time to be flirtatious and forward and this was not it.

“I don’t mind.” Alexander turned back to the room as he spoke, but Magnus caught the little smirk that flitted across his face. He tried not to read too much into it. He needed to focus on his own impending trial, not the Shadowhunter who continued to find ways to effect his heart.

“It would appear we are all ready to go.” Raphael was standing next to his Light Guard, Isabelle. He seemed completely entranced by the appearance of a whip in her hand, it was a long dangerous weapon that she handled deftly. Magnus almost let out an audible grown. There was no way Raphael could resist a woman with a whip, the masochist. Now he wished he died at Delphi so he wouldn’t have to chain Raphael in the dungeon to keep him from throwing himself at Alexander’s sister.

With a sign and a snap of his fingers, he created a portal. Jace moved through first, moving like a cat with a glowing blade in his hands. Clary followed him, a similar sword flashing.

“After you brother.” Isabelle spoke with a light tone that contrasted with her fearsome appearance. Without a word, Alexander skillfully notched an arrow, moving like one who no longer had to think about the action. Drawing back the bow, he advanced past Magnus, a vision that was seared into his brain. 

The High Four waited in silence. Waiting for the simple globe flare that would signal that everything was clear. Just when Magnus started to worry that something might be wrong, the floating sphere appeared flashing gold.

As Magnus stepped through the portal, he felt his blood start to chill. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared. He put on a brave face in front of his friends, but the bare truth of it was, he didn’t want to die. Of course, he didn’t. No matter how long you lived, death was never welcome.

He forced down the shudder and focused instead on the rolling hills and picturesque views in front of him. The heat of the Greek sun beat down on him and he drank it in. The temple, whose bones they now occupied, was the sixth temple that had stood in this place. There was nothing left of the beautiful buildings. Only the stone outlines that demarked rooms and sacred spaces. A few Doric pillars had weathered the pull of time and where still up right outliers in the place of decay. While the temple was gone, the power that it worshipped was still present.

Magnus knew where he had to go. He didn’t need unspoiled stone, chambers and anti-chambers to point the way. He recognized the power that saturated this land and knew how to follow it to its source. The oracle of Delphi had been a core part of Hellenic religion and the Ancient Greeks believed this place was the center of the world. In some ways they were correct, it was connected to the center of the earth. That magic channeled through belief had poured into priestesses for centuries giving them visions of the future and significantly shortening their lifespans.

The ancient Greeks had attributed these prophesies to the sun god Apollo. But it was really the earths power that grew as the people of the land endowed this place with more and more significance. It called to the magic that lurked in the earth connecting it to the sophisticated system of Ley Lines.

Magnus was aware of Alexander’s presence as he made his way through the ancients stones. His calm demeanor put him at ease even as his friends took up their positions around the temple. They would serve as acolytes, but more importantly they would try to pull him back if the magic appeared to be killing him. They had never done this before and they had no idea what would happen to him. He didn’t know if they would be able to do anything more than watch if the earth magic decided to claim him.

Magnus’ magic told him when he arrived in the holy antechamber. The place where the high priestess used to call on her god for answers. A shock of energy surged through him, it wasn’t painful, but it was over-powering. A demanding presence that prodded at Magnus pushing into him. It was different than anything he had ever experienced before.

Placing the simple laurel on his head, a thing of familiarity that would help the magic accept him. It was always hard to explain to mortals that magic was a living thing. Something with a will and desire, likes and dislikes. It was drawn to things it understood, things it recognized. The laurel was a part of the dance Magnus was about to start and hopefully it would gain him some goodwill. 

Magnus closed his eyes, drawing on the magic that occupied his body like a soul. He called out to the deepest part of the earth, opening himself to the magic that churned below, allowing it to fill him. As he did, he conjured up the image of the map, covered with Ley Lines. Allowing all his emotions and uncertainties to coalesce into a single inquiry. _Where? Where are you hurting?_

He wasn’t prepared, no one could be. It was pure white light, tearing into him. He tried to focus the raw energy, but his thoughts seemed to scatter. It was hard to remember why he was there. What he needed. He felt small, so small surrounded by the multitudes, the vastness of this magic.

Suddenly, his mind was thrust out of the blinding rush and way from the slopping land of Greece. The magic was violent as it grabbed onto his small, foreign soul. It seemed to know why Magnus was there even if Magnus couldn’t remember.

He heard whispering. _Pierced the earth, it stabs it stabs it stabs._ His mind cluttered with the murmurings that were soft one moment and clawing shrieks the next. _Marks of the devil, IT STABS._

_So thirsty. The Shadows are…_

_Hungry_

He was moving through time and space, but he felt like parts of him were being lost shredded away. _Dead man walking through the field of blood. A field of blood. Of Blood._

Magnus held onto the words hoping they could ground him. With a flash, he was standing in front of familiar giant stones. He knew them but for some reason his mind couldn’t think.

Before him were several blurred figures, they were jagged spikes against the vividly clear landscape. They all seemed to be moving in slow motion, grotesquely twisting their bodies. In the center of their strange dance, was a sword. It glowed with a strange light that hurt Magnus’ eyes. Even though he didn’t want to look at it, it seemed to draw him in. The cruel piece of metal was plunged into one of the fallen stones, making it one with the monument.

Time seemed to jump forward and there were just two jagged outlines now. One held the sword triumphantly in his hand. The other was lying prone before him, splayed across the rock. _Unbroken symbol makes him one with the devil._

­

The sword was about to strike. The thought was unbearable to Magnus, even in his fractured state he felt a pain course through him at the scene playing out in front of him. Did he know these people? Why would he feel so strongly for a shadow? What grim ritual was being performed? 

“Who..?” Magnus began his question and his world imploded. 

Magnus couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t that his lungs weren’t working, it was as if they had forgotten how to bring in oxygen. The vision in front of him was whipped away, sending him once again into the whirlwind. The magic screeched and tore at him. He was losing himself, he felt wrong. His mind was tearing as a white noise seemed to pour in. This earth was rejecting him. He wasn’t of this earth; he didn’t belong. 

The feeling of a warm hand in his suddenly broke through his internal prison. It was a sudden spark of light that broke through the light and noise. A chink, a warmth radiating up his arm. Then suddenly he felt a presence all around him, something serene and unassuming. _Alexander,_ the name entered his mind, but he couldn’t place it _._ Who was Alexander? Why did he bring him peace?

The white hot anger of the magic that was consuming him seemed to calm when this new aura gentle pushed itself up from his hand across his being. Mixing with his own, the earth, that a moment before had been so hostile, seemed to forgive his trespass. Passing through the other being as a medium. 

“Take what you need, Magnus.” He knew that voice. It was deep and gentle. He slowly came back to himself. He felt the pieces of his soul returning, fitting easily into place.

He became aware of his body, aching and devoid of strength. He was on his knees. He would have fallen to the ground if it wasn’t for the warm arms of support that were steadying him, cradling him delicately. Opening his eyes, he found that he was looking up into a stormy blue gaze. Magnus was surprised to feel power rushing into him. The large hand grasping his was acting as a conduit pushing energy into the seriously depleted Warlock. Magnus allowed himself to be awed by this Shadowhunter. He was willing to do what no Shadowhunter had done before, willingly give a part of himself to a Warlock. Magnus couldn’t help the smile that lazily grew on his face.

“It seems I am already in your debt, Alexander.” He managed these playful words before he surrendered to the darkness.

* * *

Alec felt calm as soon as he strapped the quiver onto his back. This was his world. Watching Izzy coil her whip, he felt the usually stillness settle in him. The rules of the Palatines and the strange expectations of a golden-eyed Prince might be beyond his ken, but with a bow in his hand and his friends beside him he knew exactly what was required of him.

Alec walked into the Prince’s quarters with a rush of adrenaline, feeling the anticipation of action. He could feel the tension in the room as soon as he walked in. All of the High Four were present sitting where they had been before, around the fire in the incredibly padded chairs that were covered with golden stitching on a deep blue satin. Alec ignored the feeling that he had intruded on something. Now wasn’t the time to dissect and overthink, they had a job to do.

He refused to be distracted by the Prince’s subdued outfit, which still extenuated his lovely willowy frame. It became harder to hold onto his warrior mentality when the Prince, with his silky voice, complimented him and added a suggestive look.

Despite being unfamiliar with compliments, Alec was well trained when it came to missions. Even if the look the Prince was giving him made him want to take a shower, he wouldn’t be cowed.

They needed to know what was going on.

Alec had learned about Delphi, but it had always been just a point on the map. He had never been far from the Sanctum. Shades were sometimes sent on missions in far flung places, but Alec had always been tied pretty closely to the City. Being so close to a nexus, it was a hotbed for Demon activity. Since it housed millions of innocent people that needed to be protected, the Shades always had their hands full. Still, there were times when Alec wished he could see a little more of the world. They learned about all these far flung places, all these beautiful magical locations that were forever out of reach.

Now he was staring down at a map of Delphi, planning their approach.

“They weren’t very forthcoming about why they are all going to be at the temple.” Clary pointed out, once they had finished strategizing a simple sweep.

“It does seem strange.” Jace chimed in turning his bright eyes on Alec. “Why don’t you go ask lover boy over there if there is anything else we should be prepared for?”

Alec wanted to punch the smug look of his face, but he couldn’t deny that the Prince was the best bet for getting more information. Crossing over to him, he created a conspiratorial atmosphere hoping it would make the Prince more open. Instead, it just made Alec aware that he smelt like sandalwood and open air. He was grateful when the call to leave went out.

He had never gone through a portal before, but he bit back his nerves. He had to trust that the Prince wouldn’t do them any harm. Besides, it wasn’t like he had a choice. 

Once he was enveloped by the magic, he stepped out into a different world. The first thing that he felt was the heat. In the summer, the City swam. It was a humid mess of sweat and people swarming over each other to get where they needed to be. The moisture in the air could weigh you down, make you conscious of breathing.

The heat that was waiting on the other side of the portal was completely different. It was light and open, the sun beat down from a cloudless sky, but the air was dry. The heat didn’t stick to his skin, it brushed over it like a soft breath.

The second thing that Alec noticed was how beautiful it was. He knew that Delphi was at Mount Parnassus, the home of the Muses, but to be looking out at steep mountains dotted with green brush was breathtaking. Logically he understood that stepping through the portal would bring him to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, but to one moment be in the gilded cage of the Palatine and the next to be in the hills of Greece was mind boggling. A surreal experience that Alec had only a second to appreciate. He wasn’t there as a tourist; he had a job to do.

He moved with Jace, Clary and Izzy, fanning out over the crumbling ruins that used to be the great Temple of Apollo. His bow raised he did his part, finding the highest ground to help complete their sweep. Once, he had confirmation from his fellow Shades that it was safe. He sent a simple flare through the portal.

Moments later, the High Four stepped through, each Shade naturally fell in next to their bonded immortal. Alec could tell the Prince was preoccupied, he walk like he was in a dream. Still, it gave Alec the opportunity to take in how the bright sun made the immortal’s caramel skin gleam. How it played with the silky darkness of his hair, bringing out what looked like dark purple highlights.

Alec almost tripped over a stone and he berated himself for getting distracted. The Prince said some pretty words to him and suddenly he forgot how to stay focused during a mission? If his father could see him now.

When the immortal stopped in the middle of a stone border that clearly marked a room, Alec knew it was about to begin. He was about to witness the summoning of Pythia, the great energy of Delphi.

Alec felt a strange pressure coming up through the ground. He tensed as he maintained his position, his gaze fixed on the Prince. This was what was described in the great book, but reading about something and experiencing it where two very different things. He had read about the vents of power, how they seized the high priestesses and sent them into a convulsion of sorts. But to see the Prince, his charge, go rigid, his limbs twitching was far too real. He wondered if the pang in his chest was the magical bond or something else.

_Pierced the earth, it stabs it stabs it stabs_

The Prince began to speak, strange words in a disturbing voice that was far from the rich lilt that Alec was used to hearing. The words came faster and faster until suddenly, the Prince let out a scream that was all his own. It tore at Alec, the sound reverberating in his ears. He didn’t want to hear pain from this man, ever again.

As the Prince fell to his knees still shaking, it was evident to Alec that something was terribly wrong. He glanced at the other Warlocks and he realized that they seemed to be unable to breach the sphere of light that had encircled the Prince. They were yelling his name, as they threw themselves forward. Their concerned, desperate, faces told Alec everything he needed to know. They had lied about how dangerous this was, he knew it would take a toll, but this was clearly beyond that. The other Eternals were exhibiting the kind of fear that only comes from the terror of losing someone you love. Alec knew it well.

Without thinking, Alec rushed forward. He felt the light barrier as it seemed to take hold of him, feeling him. Then finally it gave way for him. He heard the call of his friends, but they quickly faded as he rushed to the Prince’s side.

He reached him just as he slumped. Alec jerked forward supporting the other man, holding him close. It was a moment of intimacy that seemed simultaneously natural and out of place. Alec was always the protector, but he didn’t often show tenderness. Now, he was delicately clutching this man, an immortal, an eternal being that could have no real interest in Alec, as if he was the most dear to him.

Alec didn’t have time to think too deeply, because now that the Prince’s body was flush against his own he could feel the tremors racking his frame.

“My Prince, Magnus, tell me what to do.” Alec whispered in his ear desperately wishing that he knew the first thing about Warlocks. Reaching for his hand, he clutched it, hoping that maybe he could draw the other man from his trance. He willed his strength into the other man, giving him his energy.

“Take what you need, Magnus.” Slowly, Magnus seemed to still beneath him and his breathing evened out. Still Alec didn’t relax until he saw the light amber eyes slowly open and look up at him. Magnus was looking at him like Alec was the last life raft on a sinking ship. 

“It seems I am already in your debt, Alexander.” Magnus’ smile was beautiful and Alec felt a rush of relieve. He had protected this man, this strange, unearthly, magical man. It was only in the next second as Magnus sunk into unconsciousness that Alec realized he was is serious trouble.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer coming out, but better late than never! I also wanted to thank everyone who has been reacting to the story, especially people commenting. It means a lot that you are taking the time to let me know how you feel about the story! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Magnus came back to himself in parts. He was aware of each portion of his body as it slowly woke. Each one seemed unwilling to wake. It was more than his extremities, everything inside seemed to ache. It wasn’t pain; it was an extreme fatigue. As he knitted himself back together, he felt the pull of consciousness, but how could he open his eyes? It felt like a herculean task. Instead he rested somewhere between resting and waking. 

“Can we make a solemn vow to never let him do that again?” 

“I don’t think it’s necessary. He’s learned his lesson. Besides we got what we needed.”

“Did we? It felt like a bunch of nonsense to me.” 

“There is meaning in it. You didn’t expect that Earth magic would speak in clear, perfect sentences did you? Besides hopefully Magnus will be able to shed some light on what he was saying.” 

“Shed some light? He was totally fried and look at him now! He’s been out for three days.” 

The voices drifted into Magnus’ lazy state and it took him a few moments to translate the noise into words. He knew these people, his friends. 

“What about the Shadowhunter? What’s his name?”

“Lightwood, the same as your Shadowhunter, Jesus Raphael, they’re siblings.” 

“Sorry I’m not good with names. So what of _Lightwood._ Why was he able to enter the barrier when we weren’t? He shared his energy. Who saw that coming? The closer we get to these new and improved Shadowhunters the more intriguing they are. ”

“He clearly cares for Magnus. Enough to risk himself.” 

“It is also his job.” 

_Alexander._ They were talking about Alexander. Magnus’ mind began to clear as he imagined pal skin, black hair, bright blue eyes. In a flash, he was back on the ground feeling as his soul was slowly peeled from his body. Then the warmth, the sensation of being in someone's arms. It had been more that comfort, he was sharing energy, pulling him back from the edge. He knew with a grim certainty that if Alexander hadn’t appeared when he did, Magnus would have been mentally vaporized, reduced to the lowest rung of sanity. 

As he turned over the events in his mind, he became more aware of Alexander. He remembered in flashes, which seemed more like dreams, how Alexander had appeared before him. When he was about to be completely torn from reality, he had been there. A hand in his hand, a strong arm around his shoulder. The screaming in his mind, the presence that was consuming him seemed to reach out for the new force. It had calmed instantly. It had been more than just sharing energy. The Earth magic had reacted to the foreign magic that Magnus possessed, tainted with another realm. Somehow Alexander had soothed the vehement force in the magic of the earth. He knew that he had drawn the power out of Alexander, but for a human he would have completely drained him before it made a difference.

That thought broke through his lazy ruminations like a sledge-hammer. Desperately, his brain kicked into overdrive. Was Alexander fine? His last memory, he was above him but he couldn’t remember anything clearly it was all a blur. As he scanned through the overheard conversations, Magnus was frustrated to find no clues about his Light Guard, his Lightwood. Had he taken too much? Had he hurt him?

That thought alone helped chase away some of the weariness in his bones. With considerable effort, he opened his eyes into the blinding light of day. After a few blinks, he was able to take in his surroundings. He was in his modestly decorated bedroom, which was to say utterly outrageously decorated bedroom.

He liked pretty things; he always had and if living forever taught him anything it’s that every impulse should be entertained at least for the amount of time it took for him to realize it was a terrible idea.

He wasn’t sure what category of influence the impulse to check on Alexander would fall into. He probably wouldn’t know until it was too late. But he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about Alexander, how his magic felt as it flowed into him.

It had taken a lot of finagling to get his friends to leave him be. After it became clear that they didn’t know anything about the state of the blue eyed warrior. All they could tell him was that the Shadowhunter had passed out, _passed out_! It had happened shortly after Magnus has gone unconscious, slowly the shield had faded and they had transported them all home. When they parted the other Guards said that he was simply fatigued. They seemed quite certain. _They have to deal with injury and the like so I’m sure they have their ways_.

That was what the others of the high four had said is tones that seemed to convey that they didn’t really care. Magnus had been thankful that he could contain himself enough to not throw all his pillows at them. He knew that they were just worried about him, but he hated being reminded that Alexander was so far from him. That he belonged to a species who was used to injury and all the dangers of mortality.

Catarina had given him a full once over as Raphael and Ragnor grilled him on what the Pythia had reveal to him. What had happened? What did these words mean? Why had he screamed?

He raised his hands and his friends fell silent. He only had to look at Catarina and began to shoo them from the room. They hurriedly made plans to meet up that afternoon and then they were gone. Magnus took a moment to bask in the sunshine that came in through the huge bay windows. The stained glass at the top of the pane created kaleidoscope patterns around the room. The deep reds and purples mesmerized him for a moment, but it only took one more look at the clear blue sky to remind him of his object of worry. He had to find Alexander. He decided not to investigate this impulse, but to simple act on it.

It took him a few moments longer than usual to prepare himself for the outside world. While a lesser being would be satisfied with a simple outfit, Magnus refused to take a step out of his door without looking flawless. His magic felt raw, like his soul had been stretched. Still, he used it for the only familiar motions. Applying makeup and an eye to match the colors dancing on his walls. He kept his outfit simple, just a tailored black silk shirt and tight pants, a favorite jacket that was also black but sported gold stitching that outlined an exquisite flora pattern. It was only after he was certain that he was adequately quaffed and accessorized that he stepped out of his room.

It was then he realized he didn’t know where to go. He had made a solemn pledge to never invade the Shadowhunters space again. But he felt the pull of Alexander, demanding that he find him, make sure he was fine. He was caught in indecision. Should he send a message? But what if he needed rest and the letter made him come all the way to him for such a silly, frivolous reason.

He walked mindlessly through the halls. He mulled over the situation, wondering if he could simply send an inquiry, but he wanted to _see_ Alexander. He was selfish he knew, but the uneasiness in his heart could only be addressed with a look from clear blue eyes. It was quite a quandary. He walked in a haze of indecision so it took him a second to realize his feet had subconsciously brought him towards the Guards quarters. He needed to turn around; he was about to, really he was, when he turned a corner and walked straight into a nightmare.

Lilith, mad Lilith, mother of demons and major pain in his ass. His beautiful, dangerous sister could always be relied upon to show up where she was least wanted. While she always had a negative effect on his being, seeing her with her tall body pressing Alexander into the wall cut him to his core. She was wearing her signature all red, body hugging dress that feel to the floor in waves of silk. Her lips were inches from Alexander’s ear as she whispered to him, her body flush against his and one long, blood red nail gently stroking Alexander’s cheek. The scene made Magnus want to call on the Nexus of the earth and unleash it on his demonic sister. He wanted to break every one of her elegant fingers and scream that she had no right to bring her polluted words anywhere close to his young Light Guard. Instead, he paused to gather his emotions. There was no way he could hide everything from Lilith, but give too much away could have deadly consequences.

“Maybe I’ve gotten lost somewhere, because I could have sworn these were my quarters, dear sister.” Magnus made his tone light as he waltzed into the scene, focusing on her disturbance of his space, hoping she wouldn’t see the real source of his anger. He pointedly didn’t look at the hand that was still cupping Alexanders cheek and tried to ignore how the Shadowhunter had completely shut down his gazed fixed on the tapestry behind them.

“Is it your space you don’t like me violating or your property.” Lilith had an almost girlish accent to her voice that made her words even more disturbing to Magnus’ ears. It carried everything from a tease to a threat. He knew that Lilith was a threat at all times. She relished in corrupting sentiment, using it to destroy the most sacred of things.

“I’m assuming that is a rhetorical question and therefore won’t spend any time coming up with a witty response. Instead, I will remind you that this area has been sectioned off, by me, in the name of the Palatine Systems. You are in breach of them, so with all due respect, get out and please leave my Light Guard alone. He is also protected by our sacred law and not a plaything for you to toy with.” Magnus charged his words with power, but attempted an air of nonchalance carefully inspecting his black nails as he spoke.

“I was just checking on you, brother. There were some rumors that you were indisposed.” Lilith took a step back from the Shadowhunter mimicking Magnus carefree attitude. “Now, that I see these rumors were grossly exaggerated. I will return to court.” She gave a respectful curtsey a hand over her heart, and received Magnus’ answering nod before disappearing without a sound. 

A silence filled the hallway as Alexander continue to keep his gaze fixed on the wall ahead of him.

“I have much I want to discuss with you Shadowhunter, please meet me in my rooms. I am going to send a message to the others of the Four about this disturbance and then meet you there.” At his words, Alexander gave a curt nod and walked passed him towards Magnus’ abode. In truth, a message could be sent almost instantaneously, but Magnus needed an additional moment to gather his emotions. Lilith always put him on edge, but he had the strange feeling that a gauntlet had been thrown. Somehow, Lilith had known before he did that Alexander was someone he needed to protect; he was a weak spot. Her appearance had been a threat. She knew how to turn people into pawns and her fingers stroking Alexander’s pale face was a chilling reminder to Magnus of her uncanny ability to seize on what matter the most to a person and destroy it. It had been a long time since Magnus had something to lose, he had been careless.

Still, at least Alexander was fine. He had been standing, while clearly uncomfortable he wasn’t unconscious or in any other state of distress. This was a relief, he didn’t know how he would handle actually causing serious harm to the Light Guard. Having collected his thoughts, he followed Alexander’s footsteps back to his quarters, feeling a strange warmth from knowing that the taller Shadowhunter was waiting for him.

When he entered the sun drenched room, Alexander was facing away from him gazing out the window at the rolling lawn of the Palatine. He bathed by the light. At the sound of Magnus entering, he turned respectful to face him the backlighting cloaked his features in darkness. Magnus felt a rush of nervousness, an emotion he was not very familiar with. He wondered if Alexander felt as he did, that something had shifted between them. Staring at the man before him, Magnus could feel a strong magical bound. There was an intimacy between them that had been forged on the mount in Greece.

Magnus found that he didn’t want to disturb the moment. He could feel himself calm, even as he actively tried to avoid the feeling of possessiveness that was still rolling around in his stomach. He wasn’t someone who got jealous or needy. Of course, he threw himself wholeheartedly into a love affair, but he didn’t like the feeling of needing someone. Not sense Camille, she had taught him some tough lessons about being too emotionally available and what that can cost you. 

After she had tried to steal some of his blood for a spell and left him for another lover, he had finally accepted that he wasn’t meant for such bonds. Light amours and meaningless trysts were more than enough to sustain him. He didn’t need love. He had believed that for over a century and then a set of perfectly manicured nails on Alexander’s cheek made him question everything. 

“My dear Alexander. I’m sorry about the incident in the hall. My sister had always liked beautiful things, all the better if they belong to me.” Magnus allowed himself to draw closer taking in the Shadowhunters refined features. Even with his expression masked by the light, Magnus could tell that he was paler than normal. He seemed tired and a tremor of guilt shot through him, along with something else, as he remember a strong pair of arms encircling him. 

“Are you well Shadowhunter?” Magnus was close now, standing directly in front of him so when a sharp set of blue eyes snapped up, he could see every fleck of hazel. 

“I should be asking you. Are you well, my lord?” His words were distant, but Magnus watched as his eyes searched him looking for anything amiss. “You were unconscious for a very long time.”

“I’ve always been a little lazy. Can’t be helped. I’ve lived too long to change now.” Tentatively, Magnus reached up an arm and placed it on his Guard’s arm. Alexander tensed slightly below him, but quickly relaxed. “Come, Alexandre sit on the couch.” 

Magnus directed him to the smaller of the two couches ensuring that their legs touched when he sat beside him. He had the crazy urge to reach out and take the other man's hands in his. He knew it would be warm and calloused, but he didn’t want to overstep. He took a steadying breath. He had to remain in control. 

“I don’t take lightly what you did. You saved my life.” Magnus spoke softly. He wished Alexander would look at him, but the Guard was resolutely looking forward, avoiding his gaze. 

“It is my job, my lord. I am your Light Guard.” Alexander spoke in the same stilted manner he had when they had first met. It would have irritated Magnus, but he could still hear that same voice laced with panic, calling out his name. _Magnus, Magnus._

“Sharing energy is not in your job description. Not only is it rarely done, I don’t recall it ever occurring between an Eternal and a Shadowhunter, even during the war. Still, you were willing to give a little of yourself to me. I felt it. Just as a little bit of my energy is in you.” Without thinking, Magnus reached out a hand and placed it over Alexander’s heart, enjoying the steady beat. He had been so scared when he woke up. Scared that he had taken all his strength. He had recently been taught a cruel lesson in mortality and to think that something so final could happen to this man had been terrifying. “I know you didn’t choose to be here, or be marked by my magic. I’m sorry. 

“You can do whatever you want with me, Prince. I’m your property. I belong to you.” Magnus his own words sent back at him like a physical blow. 

“No, you don’t belong to me. You are a person, free.” Magnus choked on his words as he was overcome with emotions. He understood that Alexander was trying to protect himself, but the coldness of his words was exacerbated by the truth they held. If Alexander tried to leave the Palatine the magic in his chest would stop his heart. He wasn’t free. He was chained here, to him.

“We are fighting for all magical beings on this earth. That includes Shadowhunters. While you might not draw directly from the Earth, you are still part of this magical ecological makeup. If we can find out who is behind this, I swear to you I will unbind us. If that’s what you choose.” It hurt Magnus to imagine a future without this bond he felt growing between them. But he also knew that he couldn’t have want he wanted, he couldn’t have this man, if Alexander didn’t have the freedom of choice. He needed to make him understand that.

“Look at me Alexander.” Once again Magnus was fighting the urge to touch the younger man again. To reach out a ringed finger and direct his chin towards him, but he was afraid that would be to reminiscent of Lilith. Thankfully, the other man slowly turned his face his deeply emotive eyes finding Magnus’. “I have a lot to learn about how Shadowhunters live and how to treat you as an equal. But, I want to treat you as an equal, in all things.”

“Lilith-“ Alexander started a clear look of indecision and pain in his eyes.

“Lilith is an agent of chaos. She finds joy in pulling the wings off flies. She could see that I am beginning to rely on you, that I care about you. The complexities of such human bounds escape her, so she is constantly trying to destroy them. Don’t listen to her. Follow your instincts, how you feel about my. I know you sense this as well.” Magnus felt his heartbeat increase. He was gambling on the certainty he felt within himself. He truly didn’t know if Alexander felt it too. He didn’t know how deep Shadowhunter emotion went, could they feel something so profound as the bound he felt grown between them? He didn’t know. Up until a few weeks ago, Magnus had thought they were incapable of even the simplest forms of emotion. He knew he had been wrong, but he didn’t know how wrong.

Alexander broke his gaze and looked down at his lap. Magnus felt his heart sink. Had he overplay his hand? Maybe he had pushed too hard. It had been so long since he had cared what a person thought of him.

“I do- feel it I mean- but Magnus it doesn’t make any sense.” At the sound of his name, Magnus felt a smile spread across his face. It had never sounded so sweet.

* * *

Alec felt uncomfortable in his skin. Ever since they had come back from Greece, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted.

“Alec.” Jace appeared before him. He was wearing an earnest expression that always meant a serious conversation was coming. “We need to talk about Delphi.”

Alec would rather have his teeth pulled, but he knew that avoiding the topic was useless. They were bonded and, if nothing else, he respected Jace enough to hear what he had to say. So instead of fleeing to his room, he indicated for Jace to sit next to him. He was sitting in the shade of the training room, cooling down after some light exercise.

“I know you Alec. I know you need to protect those around you, so I’m not going to go on about how stupid your stunt was in Delphi. Anyway, I’m sure Izzy has already given you an earful about it.” Jace gave him a slight smirk. He knew full well that Izzy had carried him back to their quarters, waited for him to return to the land of the living and calmly explained that if he ever did that again she would gut him like a fish.

“I feel your desire to make a connection with these people and I know you are getting closer with Magnus, but you have to remember where we are. Remember who he is, an immortal, an eternal being. He has lived for thousands of years. I’m not saying we can’t work with them. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Please be careful.”

After the talk with Jace, Alec was feeling anxious. He could feel this strange itch inside him, a weird pull that had been growing since he had woken from the events of Delphi. He had always had a strong bond with Jace, they could sense each other, were in touch with each other's emotions. He felt another bond now, very different, but no less present. It was as if someone had tied a knot somewhere deep inside him, connecting him with Magnus. It felt like the channel he had opened between them had never fully closed. He wasn’t taking or giving, but there was a link of energy that was flowing between his mortal heart and that of an immortal. 

He took a quick body shower and threw on a simple black outfit that would make Isabelle roll her eyes. Thankfully, both Izzy and Clary had to accompany their Eternal on an errand in the city, so he was spared any exasperated sounds. As he stepped into his plan room that was furnished with only a bed, nightstand and small dresser, he had nothing to distract his mind from the thought of how Magnus had looked cradled in his arms.

He knew that Jace was right, he needed to rest and regroup, separate himself more for his charge. Alec shouldn’t have been training to begin with. He had shared his energy with someone and already he could feel the fatigue overtaking his body. Still, there was that tug from his chest telling him to follow it to Magnus, to the Prince. He needed to know he was fine, that he had recovered. It worried him that several days had passed without news. Logically, he knew that Catarina would never have left the Palatine if there was any danger, but emotionally he couldn’t stop the worry that filled his thoughts. 

When he heard the click of Jace’s door closing, he made up his mind. Strictly speaking, the Guard were not allowed to make calls on the Eternals. Still, since the wing was deserted, surely he could make the claim that he was delivering a message in person. Perhaps offering to help decipher the information gained at Delphi, since he had been the last to be with the Prince conscious. 

In truth, he didn’t give it a lot of thought. Instead, he walked with purpose out of the Shades’ quarters and toward the gilded space above. 

He was only starting to second guess himself, when he turned onto the main hallway and found himself almost touching noses with Lilith, Queen of the Palatine. He felt all the air being sucked from his lungs as he looked into a pair of eyes that were dark as coals. 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the belle of the ball. Magnus’ tin soldier, another shiny toy. You’ve come to me, how kind. Now I can meet you properly.” Her voice was disturbing and Alec could feel a crackling of power as she crowded him pushing him against the wall. Suddenly, she added force to her movements and he found himself pinned, as she pressed her body to him.

She was tall. Tall enough to rub her cheek against his, with little effort. The action made him feel like she was marking him. Intentionally leaving her scent on him like a cat. Nausea swelled inside of him as her hot breath invaded his nose and mouth.

“You see an opportunity to earn my brother’s love? You? Coated with dirt and sweat, a mere child of Earth with your tools of violence and awkward words? You are nothing.” Alec could feel a cruel finger caressing his cheek and he suppressed a shudder. “I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts. Maybe you’ll be a footnote, an afterthought, but in the end you’ll be nothing but dust. Magnus can have anyone. And you, you are just his property. A pretty thing he can play with and then put back in the box.”

Alec was hiding somewhere deep inside himself. When the casual, sweet voice of Magnus cut off Lilith’s vicious words he couldn’t bring himself to turn to him. The way the Prince saunter carelessly into the scene, as if Alec wasn’t being assaulted by his sister, seemed to confirm some of her words. The Prince was angry that Lilith had trespassed on his territory, but what did that make Alec? Just another thing that the immortal counted among his possessions. As Magnus dismissed him, sending him along ahead of him without a glance, Alec felt like a piece of meat being fought over by two hungry jungle cats.

He was thankful for the few moments he had to himself. Magnus had many rooms, but he stayed in the main living room. The main atrium you entered first. It was where they had all their debriefings and was as close to a common area as he could come by in this palatial complex.

Alec moved to one of the great windows that lined the far wall from the door. It was noon and the sun was out in full force illuminating the world outside. The Palatine had an extensive garden, a manicured lawn that stretched into an increasingly wild forest. It was beautiful and he found himself entranced by the view. Until, he heard the door behind him open. 

The moment he heard Magnus call his name, he wished he could turn to tin. Be nothing more than a toy. Better yet, he wished he had stayed downstairs and ignored the strange feeling pooling inside him. He wished he was like Jace and could coolly laugh off Lilith and Magnus, pretending that it didn’t matter what other’s thought of him. But he did care, so he did what he always did, he locked his emotions away.

Even as he felt the warmth of Magnus’ leg against his and heard his calm words, Alec reminded himself of the boundaries between them. He was just a blip on the radar to Magnus, a moment of infatuation. The immortals were known to be emotional and fickle that was all this was.

“You can do whatever you want with me, Prince. I’m your property. I belong to you.” Alec made the words harsh to hide the sorrow that unexpectedly welled up inside him. Part of being a Shade was learning to face the hard facts of life, this was just another one and the sooner they got it out in the open the better.

“No, you don’t belong to me. You are a person, free.” Magnus sounded distressed and Alec could already feel his façade of impassivity dropping. As Magnus spoke, his words filled with an earnest need. Alec was cast once more into a place of inner turmoil. Could he mean it? Would this man set him free? Could he see his family? Max? And then a selfish thought, could Magnus truly care for him?

“Lilith-” Alec wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but he felt dangerously close to believing Magnus. He had the distinct feeling of dangling over a cliff’s edge.

In the end, he caved. He already had indulged the bound between them by coming to find him in the first place. How could he now pretend he didn’t feel anything?

“I do- feel it I mean- but Magnus it doesn’t make any sense.” Alec felt heat on his cheeks. He could hear the awkwardness, a jilted sound next to Magnus’ smooth words. He wanted to pull away, disengage from the moment, when he felt a soft hand easily slip into his right hand.

“You are something special Alexander, it’s rare to find anyone as open as you.” Alec didn’t know what Magnus meant, but he was put at ease by the contact. It felt natural like the smile the lit Magnus’ face.

_I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts. Maybe you’ll be a footnote, an afterthought, but in the end you’ll be nothing but dust._ The words were meant to cut, but Alec found in them a sort of reassurance. Magnus was monologuing about magical bounds and how they were both touched by each other’s magic. He seemed so glamorous and passionate that Alec might have felt lost. But ironically, Lilith’s words calmed him. He knew that this magical, glittering person, a Prince, would never be his, not truly. He was plain and unimportant. A mortal, that would probably die in whatever great event was looming. But maybe for a brief period of time he could steal a little happiness with this man. He had already sworn his life and body to him, what was the harm in adding his heart?


	7. Chapter 7

When the “bonding” period ended, the High Four had no choice but to return to their place in the Palatine. With the time eaten up with healing and unwelcome guests, they hadn’t been able to meet about the events of Delphi and suddenly they were thrust back into the real world.

It was as awful as Alec had feared. Alec didn’t mind the intricacies of politics, he had been raised to run the Sanctum after all, but the world of the Palatine perpetuated power lines and etiquette that stemmed from ancient times. It was overwrote with decorum that Alec quickly chalked up to immortal unnecessary need to complicate. In the Sanctum, it was simple and straightforward driven by what you required and what was required of you.

Still, there were simple things that even Alec’s overtaxed brain could comprehend. The hierarchies were formed according to age and power. Lilith was at the top, then Magnus and the other members of the High Four. The Palatines was both the highest office of politics for the Eternals of this world, but also the highest courts. Each different form of magic user had a delegate that lived at court and had a vote on all major decisions. Then there were many other powerful people who controlled areas and commanded particular magic. And of course, the frills and feather people that appeared in every center of power. They all understood their place and knew how to communicate with each other.

All of it was like a foreign language to Alec, who faced the court with dread. Thankfully, the requirements of the bond weren’t extreme. Alec merely had to be within a close proximity to Magnus. For many of the personal meetings that Magnus had with communal groups, Alec could stay outside. But when it came to the meetings of the full court, Alec had to be dressed in the traditional black and blade, silently by Magnus’ side.

Alec hated being in that great room surrounded by an immovable class of people who loved to stare at the mortal rustics. He always felt on display. To make matters worse, Lilith was often present and, while she usually did nothing, her presence alone put him on edge. What Alec did love was watching Magnus work. It was clear that he was even and fair when dealing with his people. More than that, he genuinely enjoyed helping to solve their disagreements or discuss adaptations in policy.

It had been a week since they had returned from Greece and they still hadn’t been able to talk about the visions. Alec had spoken with Clary, Jace and Izzy, piecing together what they heard, but they were in the dark about a lot of what Magnus had experienced. There were also information holes that the Shades felt were intentionally left. Alec didn’t know if something had changed, if some of the walls between their species had come down. He hoped so, because they all felt the awful tension of inaction.

Alec would find out tonight, since finally they were going to be all in one place. They had made plans during Lilith’s grand review of the wild beasts that took place in the extensive gardens. It would require her full attention and hopefully allow enough of a window for them to finally start making some sense of what happened. Alec only had to make it through the greeting of the courtiers, a notably tedious ceremony that was made longer by the addition of new people who were here to view the beasts and had to first present themselves to Lilith.

Alec was standing beside Magnus as the hours ticked on. He kept his mind focused however on the crowd in front of him and was therefore immediately aware of the danger. He sensed that something was off a second before the attack. Shades had improved reflexes and sharper senses. Warlocks were also very attuned to their surroundings but with magic always interfering they were often distracted or misled. This was an affliction that did not affect a Shade, which allowed Alec to react in time to save Magnus’ life. Knowing that Magnus was immensely powerful, saving his life might be a little dramatic, but the enchanted projectile had been hurtling directly for the Prince’s head when Alec deftly severed its magic with his sword.

The court erupted in panic, which made locating the source of the weapon very difficult. Especially when the courtiers piled into the vestibules that lined along the great hall. It was strictly against court protocol to portal out of the court directly, so the rooms provided a discreet place to make one’s entrance or exit. It was almost amusing to see the Eternals, so overgrown with etiquette and inbred culture, running their perfect hair and clothing askew. However, the terror of the scene erased anything resembling humor.

Later, Alec felt a little guilty about how good it felt to have his blade in his hand. A sword that had been handed to him when he was five years old to protect the city and those in it. Although he preferred his bow, the sword was like an extension of his own arm and it felt good to feel the old flush of adrenaline. He didn’t need to look around to know where his fellow Shades were or whether they were ready to help him find the assailant. They were the best for a reason. Now they each took up their position boxing in their immortal charges while each scanning a different part of the rapidly disappearing crowd.

“Point Check?” Isabelle being farthest back from the initial attack, called out the question. In his peripherals, Alec could see Izzy with her whip uncoiled around her standing protectively in front of Raphael.

“Check.” Alec responded moving forward, a hand outstretched in back of him indicating for the others to remain behind him as they fanned out to check the space for any remaining danger.

It was only after they had cleared every corner of the room that they moved to activate the room lockdown. It didn’t escape Alec’s notice that Lilith hadn’t locked down the room immediately, an oversight that conveniently allowed the perpetrator to escape. At least now someone couldn’t portal back in and attack them when their backs were turned.

“Such a distressing occurrence.” Lilith’s voice rang through the empty hall, bringing all eyes to her. In her signature red dress, she was sprawled over the throne and was staring intensely at Alec, which sent a tingle up his spine. Her attitude at that moment left no doubt in Alec’s mind that she had been completely unaffected by the attack as if she had expected it.

“Yes, quite distressing, thank goodness for the Light Guard’s presence.” Magnus spoke his voice a little strained. Alec did a quick scan of the other man. He seemed a little shaken, but he was standing in a powerful stance with a direct, clear look.

“Yes, thank goodness.” Lilith didn’t break her eye contact with Alec. “How long has it been since this hallowed hall has been breached? Centuries.”

No one spoke, as Lilith rose, her voice infused with a clearly false tone of concern. They all knew that she was building to something, holding them in suspense as she slowly brushed off her dress, smoothing over imagined wrinkles.

“I am worried for your safety, dear brother.” Lilith finally turned her attention to her brother who was standing off the dais a few feet in front of her. Because of their relative position, her clear look of disdain as she looked down her nose at him, was clearly visible.

“I’m sure you are simply overcome.” Magnus dry voice was laced with sarcasm and Alec stood at the ready unsure what direction the tension he felt would go. All he knew was he would protect Magnus. He would do whatever was required to keep him safe.

“Pixie!” The blue-haired, sprite that had brought them in on the first day appeared trembling slightly.

“Your Highness.” Despite the trembling, he was still able to complete an impressive bow, as he waited for orders.

“I fear that my brother is the target for some terrible plot. Therefore, with the power bestowed upon me by the realm of blood and magic, I invoke the sequester clause.”

“The sequester clause is a formality, a flourish of the pen. It has never been used.” Magnus was obviously startled.

“There is a first time for everything, and I do trust this Shadowhunter. Did you see how he cut through the attack, as graceful as a cat.” Lilith's face broke into a smile that she must have learned from a species of reptile that had a certain penchant for eating cats.

“You are so smart, my Queen.” Alec was startled to hear Raphael’s voice coming from the back of the room, where he stood behind Isabelle. As he spoke, he stepped around his Light Guard, earning him a sharp look from the younger Lightwood. Isabelle looked like she wanted to pull him back behind her. Alec didn’t miss the flash of concern across her face as the immortal approached the dais with an easy smile.

“It is amazing you were able to come up with this plan so quickly. To call on an ancient protocol, just in our time of need.” Raphael matched her crocodile smile, with one of his own. “I would hate to think of the Prince in danger as well. As you said, this hall has not been breached for centuries and, on top of that, the Prince’s seal on his wing was also disturbed, I have heard.”

Alec drew closer to Magnus as Raphael spoke, trying desperately to follow the conversation. He didn’t know what this Sequestering was, but it had everyone on edge. It also seemed clear that Lilith had manufactured the whole situation to this end, which made it doubly bad. 

“I agree whole-heartedly with your plan, but I’m afraid it’s not enough.” Raphael continued, forcing a look of one deep in thought. “Clearly these walls are no longer safe. We need to get him to a better location. If only there was another place that was as heavily magicked that could offer such protection.”

Ragnor stepped in at that moment as if it was a rehearsed scene for some low-budget production, no one was trying to hide the act.

“Ah, Raphael what about Prince Magnus’ apartments downtown? It is perfectly protected by his wards and sacred objects, so few know about it that he would only be in danger from someone in this room.”

“You are very right Ragnor that would work perfectly. Since, if I’m remembering properly, in the sequestering rules, it doesn’t stipulate where the royal must be kept only that it is secure and is agreed on by both parties.” Alec didn’t understand exactly what was happening, but based on the momentum in the room, and the sour look on Lilith’s face, he knew they were pulling off an effective counter move.

“I, as Prince of the Palatine, agree to this Sequester.” Magnus spoke in his Prince voice. His eyes trained on his sister, as one would watch a spitting cobra. Then in the silence that followed his pronouncement, all the royals turned to Alec.

“And you, Light Guard Lightwood. Do you agree to the Sequestering in the City?” Ragnor spoke an intense gleam in his eyes, as if he was willing the words into Alec’s mouth.

“Yes, I agree to the Sequester.” Alec was well versed in responding in an official command, he was a soldier after all. As a result, none of the confusion and uncertainty manifested itself in his voice.

“As both have agreed, I therefore announce this Sequester in place. Immediately, Prince Magnus and Light Guard Lightwood will go to the warded rooms in the City. You will live together there for a week, while we secure the hall. I’m so pleased that we were able to come up with such an elegant solution to protect my dear brother.” Lilith rose looking anything but pleased. 

Alec stared at Lilith blankly for a few seconds. She hadn’t said what he thought right? She couldn’t possibly have just uttered the words live and together in reference to Alec and Magnus. It was too ridiculous.

“And Shadowhunter the rules of etiquette that have existed longer than you can imagine will not be broken in my presence. Even eyes as beautiful as yours cannot regard a royal immortal, avert your gaze. Because they are so pretty, I won’t take them, but here’s a little reminder of your place here. _Actus reus_.” Alec could see the barely contained rage in her eyes, it was the only warning he was given before a burst of pain filled his head. His vision dimmed for a second as a white light seemed to fill the corners of his mind.

It was like the back of his eyeballs were being branded. Still, he was a Shadowhunter if there was one thing, he understood it was pain. If she wanted him to double over and shout out, she was sorely disappointed a short gasp of surprise was all she was given.

“Sister, you have no right to punish my Light Guard.” Magnus’ concerned voice was accompanied by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder.

“I am the Queen of the Palatine; I have every right.” She responded coolly. And with one last disdainful look, she was gone.

“Alexander.” Magnus spoke softly beside him. His kohl lined eyes sparkled with a worry that warmed Alec’s heart.

“It doesn’t hurt.” Alec lied with ease, smoothing any lines from his face, so as not to concern his immortal. 

“Jace?” Isabelle immediately turned to the man who was standing completely still next to Ragnor, his sword still unsheathed by his side. As every eye turned to him, Alec could see some of his own pain reflected in his face.

“He’s lying. Jesus Alec, this feels like there’s an icepick lodged in my brain.” The immortals looked confused by his pronouncement on Alec’s feelings, but they didn’t say anything.

“Curse you Parabatai.” Alec gritted out sending Jace a dirty look. He loved Jace, but sometimes their bond was incredibly inconvenient.

“I’m already cursed, I’m bonded to you.” Jace responded with a slightly strained grin as he moved to his side. Then the blond warrior turned his attention back to the immortals. “What is this?” 

“It’s a part of the contract, the agreement between the Court and the Shadowhunters. Another old blood pact that allows personal slights to be punished, with pain.” Magnus’ voice sounded tight to Alec, with either anger or concern, maybe both. Alec didn’t have the strength to parse it out. He was focusing on swallowing the pain and keeping his eyes from betraying anything.

“There is nothing to be done, it will end in a few hours.” Magnus continued as he placed a protective hand on Alec’s arm. “Alexander I’m so sorry this happened, I should have anticipated that she would come at me through you.” 

“That is why I’m here, Prince.” Alec straightened his back and felt his position settle into parade rest with ease. Magnus looked like he wanted to say something more, but he was stopped by Raphael who reminded them they should retreat to Magnus’ apartment in the City. Alec had never heard of an Eternal having an apartment in the City, but that was the least of his worries at the moment.

* * *

As soon as they got through the portal, Magnus moved to help Alexander to one of the comfortable seats facing the wall of glass that led to the terrace. Magnus wanted to pull him away from the group, to insist he lie down, to take care of him.

“Welcome to my humble abode.” Magnus could hear how strange his voice was, but he couldn’t stand the tension in Alexander’s eyes, the thin smile he gave him. Magnus had an inkling of the kind of pain the Shadowhunter was experiencing. He wanted to protect Alexander from the world and he couldn’t even protect him from his sister. He had just stood there while Lilith inflicted pain on his Shadowhunter.

“Catarina?” Without taking his eyes off Alexander, he reached out a hand to his friend. A nurse to her core, she had immediately set to work mixing a tincture that would take the edge off the pain. As soon as he felt the glass pressed into his hand, he brought it to the other man’s lips. “Drink this, it will help.”

Magnus hated how adept Alexander was at hiding his pain. He hated that he had no right to put a protective arm around him as his sister did. He was overcome with new emotions; they made his head swim and he had to turn from the chair where Alexander was calmly drinking.

“Enough about me, let’s discuss the situation.” Alexander’s voice disclosed nothing, but Magnus trusted Cat’s ability and knew that some of the pain must be easing. 

“Very well, let’s begin.” Magnus said pointedly, not looking at Alexander. With a snap of his fingers, he had a much-needed martini in his hands. There was a lot to discuss. The disturbance of Lilith had made everyone edgy. It was an aggressive move by his sister, one that had precipitated her real move. She had wanted Magnus to know that everything that he possessed was still within her control. She could take what she wanted, cross any line.

“My sister may not have trapped us under her thumb, but she has clipped Alexander and my wings.” Magnus said candidly, directing his words towards the Shadowhunters. “I’m sorry that we must uproot you once again, however under the circumstances I would like to commend my dear friends on their quick thinking. I love seeing the _Queen of the Palatine_ sweat.” And hated to see her strike his Light Guard when she couldn’t hit him directly, but he didn’t say that. He didn’t have time to think over the duplicity of his family. There was so much to discuss, so much that had to be set straight. He felt strangely overcome with all the information in his head. There was the swirl of Delphi, a confusing mess of images and pain; there was the increased maneuvering of his sister. Finally, the fear for his life that had been unknown to him for centuries. Then a far more terrifying emotion that seemed to overwhelm him. When he closed his eyes, he saw the graceful, lethal movement of Alec’s arm as he reacted impossibly fast to save his life.

This was the power of the Shadowhunters, this was the power of Alexander. He remembered the strength from the time of the War, but he had rarely been so close. Now he saw how the four warriors had relaxed into their roles. Reflectively, moving forward, putting themselves into danger without a second thought. It had been impressive and more than a little disturbing.

All these thoughts simply brought him back to Alexander. The way his face had paled under Lilith’s curse. A small gasp and a straightening of his spine was the only sign he had given of pain. Magnus felt the sickness overcome him again. He allowed himself to look at Alexander once more, being careful to not betray anything on his face. The pale man was sitting, his back straight, his entrancing eyes immediately captivating him. There was a depth in his eye, a direct honesty that Magnus wanted to understand.

“We can’t let down our guard, we are still flies in her web.” Raphael was standing by the terrace door illuminated by the lights and he looked at Magnus with his dark calculating eyes. “And while our Light Guard are clearly nothing to be trifled with, the fact that Lilith is coming at you directly is unsettling.”

“Do you think she knows that we went to Delphi?” Clary was lithely perched on one of the arms of a recliner. Her red hair set aflame in the direct light of the sun.

“It would make sense. She is escalating.” Isabelle added, her hand still grasping her brother’s shoulder. “It would seem that she is at the center of what is happening with the earth magic. Why exactly? What does she have to gain?”

“It’s quite simple, complete control of this realm. I would be severely weakened, all Nature magic users would be rendered powerless, and most earth magic creatures would die.” Magnus felt the bitterness in the words. It sounded so simple, but the reality of it was not only dangerous but grotesque. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she knew of our little vacation, especially since she has been keeping very close tabs on me. She’s afraid we know too much about what she’s been up to.”

“What exactly has she been up to? If it’s going to get us killed, we might as well know.” Clary added, her tone upbeat as she casually talked about impending doom.

“Ah, that is the mystery isn’t it.” Magnus said with a flourish of his wrist. “I guess we should get on with it then. Shall we Ragnor?” His friend approached him; his face impassable as always.

“My favorite Lead magic practitioner, will use his wonderful spells to tap into my mind and reveal to you all the wonderful things that I experienced in Delphi.”

“Is it safe?” Alexander’s soft voice was unexpected, so were his words. Magnus felt his heart constrict slightly. _He’s my bodyguard, of course he would be concerned about my well-being_ , but somehow it felt like more than that.

“Yes, my lovely Light Guard, I am not tapping into anything, simply consenting to a friend’s magic, so it won’t hurt me.” Magnus tried to keep his voice light, but his heart stayed painfully tight. It had been awhile since someone had worried about him.

Magnus turned back to Ragnor who pressed a channeling crystal to his temple. His other hand was stretched palm up to present the images from Magnus’ mind. Magnus didn’t allow himself to think about reliving the experience, this had to be done. Ragnor began to chant the words and Magnus could feel the gentle intrusion and trying to swallow the fear rising up in him.

Suddenly he felt a familiar warmth close over his right hand. _Alexander,_ he thought with a smile, he wasn’t alone. When he fully relaxed, he could feel the memories flow back, this time without the pain. The images, the landscape and shadowy figures, appeared in the center of the room, the words in a scratchy voice repeating themselves.

_Pierced the earth, it stabs it stabs it stabs._

_Marks of the devil, it stabs. The shadows are hungry._

_Dead man walking through the field of blood. A field of blood Of Blood._

_Unbroken symbol makes him one with the devil._

The figure on the stone under the sword flashed through his mind, sending a last shock of fear before he felt the spell fading. Ragnor stepped away, but Alexander stayed by his side a steadying presence.

“Well, that’s one mystery solved.” Isabelle spoke first. She was standing now, taking up a position beside Raphael. “We know the location.”

“Stonehenge.” Raphael answered the statement looking at his Light Guard with a smirk.

“But what about the rest of it? What was all that about stabbing? And who was the man, Magnus kept saying he.”

“We have to be careful not to take things too literally.” Catarina spoke from her place at the bookshelves. “This is old magic and it often uses metaphors and allusions. Also, sometimes the magic is confused by the recipient's perception. It could have shaped itself to Magnus’ understanding.”

“Great, it seems we have more questions than answers.” Jace spoke for the first time. He had been silent since the strange pronouncement on Alec and their bond. Magnus hadn’t forgotten and he sized up the other man wondering what on earth a Parabatai was and what exactly Alexander and Jace were to each other. It bothered him to think of them having a bond so deep they shared emotions. 

“The words are a puzzle, but we now know the location and that there are more players involved than we thought. First however we should focus on trying to understand the magic. Let’s search the grimoires for any spell in line with Stonehenge and try to link the other parts of the message: marks of the devil, field of blood, unbroken symbol, etc. We should also begin thinking of sacred objects that could be used to absorb or alter power.” Magnus began before a message fired itself into existence in front of them.

_The Queen of the Palatine requests that the Sequestering commence immediately._

He stood rapidly, along with the rest of the room. His hand went cold as Alexander moved away from him to his fellow Shadowhunters to whom he started whispering.

Magnus, for his part, turned to his friends making sure they each still possessed one of his magicked objects so they could communicate safely through the sequestering wards.

“Alright, my dear Alexander it’s time to brick ourselves in like nuns seeking divinity.” He tried to sound cheery, but he was saddened by the look that flitted across his Light Guards face as he gave each of his fellow warriors a nod of grim determination.

Then with a slight click of the door. They were alone together. One weeks with just Alexander, Magnus felt a queasiness at the thought of being so close with the beautiful young man. He turned to a clear blue-eyed gaze that belonged to a man who had already turned everything in his life upside down.


	8. Chapter 8

The clicking of the door sounded like a death knell. All Alec could do was watch numbly as a series of bright gold symbols appeared in the air around the room, sealing them in. He felt faint. The pain had faded slightly after he drank the potion Catarina had given him, but he still felt wrong, frayed.

When a Shade was backed into a corner, they were told to make as much noise as possible to draw all attention to themselves and therefore allow any other would-be-victim to escape. It was then expected they would fight to the death. If captured, they were expected to escape on their own or die. Rescue may come, but it wasn’t to be expected.

Alec felt his instincts kicking in, escape or death. Then Magnus turned to him and he saw what looked like uncertainty in his eyes, it was strangely disarming. What did Magnus have to be nervous about? He was an all-powerful prince, an immortal, who had strayed into this world and could easily leave again. He had probably been with all manner of people, cared and been cared for. Alec had learned about the decadence of the Palatine. The Shades sneered at the Immortals in the ivory tower, the hedonists who indulged in every whim and fantasy.

Alec knew that most of this was an ingrown prejudice between the species. The Shades, or Shadowhunters as Magnus liked to say, were descendants of an Ancient magic that had been present in this realm for as long as anyone could remember. In myth it came from the Great Angel, who had bestowed power to his children. Shades lived traditionally adhering to a set of rules that kept their world simple and efficient. Alec had understood and respected these rules, it was what kept them sane when crisis hit. As they rid the world of demons and protected the humans who lived blissfully unaware of the dangers around them, there was understandable distaste for the immortal beings who seemed content to watch from afar benefiting off the magic of this world. 

He had grown up surrounded by this sentiment, decidedly anti-warlock. But he seemed to forget all of that when Magnus was close to him. The Palatine had been just as garish as he had feared, the etiquette foreign and overdone. The courtiers had been preening birds of paradise, seeming to exist only as part of this complex palatinate running parallel to the world outside, forever apart. It had seemed decidedly wrong to Alec, but then there was Magnus. The Prince, a man he was sure would be as disaffected, cruel, and indulgent as the worst of the Immortals. But he had been kind and brave, in a way that completely amazed Alec.

He didn’t know what to do about this man. He felt such strong emotions, but Alec was new to this. The only person he had ever felt romantic about was Jace and that had ended with a rather unspectacular whimper. Now, as he watched Magnus turn from the sealing wards and warily approach, he could already feel the beating of his heart increase. Shades were austere by nature and any show of affection was considered significant. Alec had always been very open with his siblings, Clary had wormed her way into his heart, but other than that he remained reserved with his emotions. When Magnus came and sat close to him, eyes filled with that disarming uncertainty, Alec wondered how much faith he should place in this man. It could all mean very little to him, after all Alec would almost certainly die before him. He was but a brief visitor in this man’s immortality. What did that mean for a relationship? Then Alec wanted to slap himself, there he was getting overly attached, he didn’t even know what Magnus wanted from him. His actions in the world of the Shade’s would be considered romantic, but in the decadent world of the Palatine? Who knew, it could be commonplace. Alec swallowed his heart and turned fully to Magnus, quirking an eyebrow at him. 

“I’m sorry, about everything that has happened.” Magnus seemed uncertain what to do with his hands as his eyes flitted around the room and back to Alec. “I know this is all very sudden, us being isolated like this and Lilith-” He trailed off slightly seeming unsure how to continue. 

“Everything is fine Magnus; I understand the situation was out of your control.” Alec understood politics. The world of the Palatine might be worlds away from the world of the Sanctum, but politics was politics. “And don’t worry about the curse, it’s only pain.” 

“I have a feeling we interact with pain differently. Not that I’m unfamiliar with it, but I wouldn’t say I have achieved the ambivalence you seem to have.” Magnus said this with a slight smile as he leaned back in his chair seeming to relax.

“Pain is a part of a Shade’s life.” Alec wasn’t sure why they were having this conversation or why Magnus continued to look at him with those intense golden eyes like he was a fine piece of glass about to break. “This is nothing and the potion helped.”

There was a brief pause as Magnus sat contemplating him. Alec felt his skin crawl, he wasn’t used to being appraised like this and it made him want to run and hide.

“May I be frank with you, Alexander?” Magnus finally spoke, his tone smooth as caramel.

“Y-yes?” Alec hated that he stuttered, and he felt his face flush.

“I want to learn more about you and your species. I feel there is still a respectful distance between the eight of us. That isn’t altogether surprising considering the history of our species. Still, it seems you don’t hold the prejudices of your forefathers, which intrigues me. More than that, I want to know you.” He leaned forward and Alec had to fight the urge to shrink back from him. “I want to know everything about you. But first I think you should rest, I know you’re used to pain or whatever nonsense, but that potion has a powerful sleeping agent in it.”

Alec felt like he was the victim of some sort of verbal drive-by. His mind was reeling and, on top of that, he couldn’t deny that he was suddenly incredibly tired. However, this realization simply brought on a wave of terror as he quickly took in the apartment. Magnus had rose, clearly indicating that he should follow. Was there a guest room? There must be, Magnus is a Prince, the apartment was huge. But even as Alec followed Magnus, his terror only grew. He didn’t feel like a warrior; he felt like a man with a crush, who was perpetually unsure of his footing. He had to regain control. Magnus probably didn’t even think of him that way.

Alec reminded himself that he was a simple, mortal noticeably missing glitter of any kind. The Prince of the Palatine must have his pick of the litter when it came to lovers. He clearly had a bad relationship with Shadowhunters. And Alec had very little going for him.

By the time Alec reached a door off the hallway that Magnus opened for him, he had completely convinced himself that Magnus couldn’t possibly want anything from him by the continuation of their magical bond. He was therefore not surprised to see a beautifully decorated guest room on the other side of the door.

“I hope you will find this to your liking. We didn’t have time to make it Shadowhunter friendly, but I could remove all the furniture if it would make you feel more at home.” Alec could hear the joke in Magnus’ voice, but weariness had sunk into his bones and all he could think about was how comfortable the bed looks.

“Alexander?” Alec realized too late that Magnus had continued to speak after he had completely zoned out. Now the concerned face of the Prince hovered close to his, so close he could see all the gold flecks threaded through his eye lashes. “Are you alright? Are you still in pain?”

He was like a mother hen and Alec realized with an infuriating sluggishness that this must be Magnus first close up experience with a mortal. It was almost cute how uncertain he was. Alec also felt a swell of exasperation, all this over a little pain and fatigue? 

“I’m fine, just a little tired.” Alec straightened and used all his will power to set Magnus with a clear, direct gaze. “Is there anything else, Prince? Or may I retire?”

“Yes of course! And please none of this Prince nonsense, we are out of the Palatine there is no reason to observe all that gobbledygook.” Magnus spoke with his usual flourish and placed a hand on Alec’s shoulder leading him towards the bed. “Just let me know if you need anything. There is a change of clothes in the dresser and clean towels in the bathroom. 

Alec half-listened as Magnus chattered away. His head had a dull-ache and he felt the day catching up with him.

“Well, I think that’s everything.” Magnus finished as Alec sat rigidly on the overly stuffed queen bed. “Do you need any help getting out of your things? I would be happy to assist you.” When Alec looked up dazedly, he could see the mischievous look in the Prince’s eyes, not to mention the suggestive wiggle of an eyebrow. He was too tired to blush, let alone formulate some kind of response.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t resist. I’ll let you sleep.” Magnus swept from the room with a last dazzling smile that stayed with Alec long after he heard the door close behind him.

Alec was asleep within minutes. He thought the potion would give him a deep, dreamless sleep, but his neutralizing power must have been at work because he had vivid dreams.

He dreamt he was a little boy. His father was next to him giving him his first sword. _You win or you die, Alec it’s time you understood. We kill the monsters in the night. Victory is given to the strongest, the purest, they survive and hand the sword to their children. We kill and are killed, that is the circle. Now, it’s time to prove yourself._ Alec could feel the metal hilt of the sword, too big for his little hands. His father was strangely faceless form before him as he pointed at a figure. It stepped forward.

_Magnus_.

His eyes gleamed gold, ethereal, but he was unmistakable exuding power and an unearthly beauty. _You have to kill the monster._ His father’s voice seemed to echo all around him, thundering louder in intensity. _It’s the circle._

_I can’t, I can’t, I’m supposed to protect him._ Alec reeled as Magnus advanced on him the flash in his eyes blinding Alec. He closed his eyes tightly, feeling the sword dig into his hand. When he opened his eyes his father and Magnus had disappeared. In the place was Izzy, she was also young, maybe six or seven. She was looking up with her dark, emotive eyes.

_It’s okay Alec, it’s in our blood._ What is? What do you mean? Alec felt an overpowering feeling of confusion, and what could be fear. He reached out for her, but she stepped back from him, suddenly sad.

With a slight gasp, Alec blinked awake. He sifted through the dream in his head. It had been a strange mixture of memory and fantasy, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it. Maybe after seeing Magnus’ prophecy he was looking for meaning in everything. Still, the bond with Magnus had a strange thrum and he couldn’t help but think that it was affecting him in unforeseen ways.

The sun had just started to brighten the sky and he decided that his normal morning routine would help clear some of the cobwebs.

* * *

To Magnus' great horror, he woke at six thirty in the morning. He couldn’t remember the last time he had woken up so early. He lay in his silken sheets desperately trying to go back to sleep but failed. It took him a moment to remember why he felt so frazzled. The last day came back to him in a rush and he bolted upright in bed. Alexander was presumably sleeping in the next room. Alexander was here in his apartment.

“Can I interest you in some breakfast?” Magnus felt his words trail off when he peeked into the guest room to find it empty. “Alexander?”

He felt a strange flush of worry. Had he still been in pain? Had he not been able to sleep? His worry grew as he came out to the living room and kitchen and found them both equally vacant.

“Alexander.” His voice had deepened as he tried to hold on to his calm. Had Lilith done something? While he was sleeping in the other room like an idiot, had Alec been fighting alone? He was about to send out the alarm when he glanced out on the terrace. It was that time when spring was just slowly turning into summer. The view was beautiful, the sun peeking over the horizon, but that wasn’t watch snagged his attention. No, that would be the shirtless demi-god who was currently being softly illuminated by the rising sun.

Hmm, he didn’t know a lot about Shadowhunter culture, but if this was part of it, it couldn’t be all bad. 

Out on the balcony, Alexander was covered by a sheen of sweat indicating that he had been out there for a while. It made him gleam in the light and highlighted every well-toned angle. Magnus had made himself a student of the human form, partly for artistic reasons and partly for more personal pursuits. Being bisexual and immortal, he had taken in quite a lot of territory. It took a lot to take his breath away, but Alexander had sucked the breath right out of his lungs.

He already knew Alexander was a handsome man. Tall and pale, he had the hypnotic aura of someone who was in complete control of his body. This was tinged by a vulnerability that Magnus hadn’t expected. It was the uncertainty, naivete, that had wormed past Magnus defenses. It was the beauty tinged with mortal fragility that made him seem otherworldly. He was so different than anyone Magnus had met before, that Magnus wanted to forget all the anger from the past. 

Alec moved deftly bringing Magnus back to the distracting curve of his body. He was lithe like a cat, his movements the seductive combination of a well hewed body and the confidence of someone who knew exactly how to use it. 

Magnus hadn’t thought very seriously about tattoos. Those who practiced dark blood magic often had scars on their body where they drew from their veins. They often covered them with fancy magical symbols or images. But they weren’t actually on the skin, merely a mirage offering over it. Then there were the people who frequented his club. He had seen several tattoos, some quite beautiful, but they hadn’t drawn him in like the markings that adorned Alexander’s body. They were simple and elegant giving the warrior a timelessness, not to mention a sexiness. His eyes didn’t miss the white outlines of scars that cropped up here and their marring his pale skin. There was nothing grotesque about them, they seemed to be perfectly in line with the man before him. Still, for someone so young it showed the toll of a hard life. 

The young warrior seemed to complete his exercise with a complex flip and suddenly a sword was in his hand. Magnus had completely missed that he even had a sword and he was overcome with the mixed emotions of attraction and an old fear. _This is the power of the Shadowhunters._

“What do you think?” Alec spoke in his natural voice devoid of any Light Guard flummery. Magnus felt a slight blush at being caught ogling, before he realized that the young man wasn’t talking to him. He was addressing Chairman Meow, his overly pampered cat who was currently perched on one of the bricked edges of the balcony. “Yeah I think I’ve done better too.”

Magnus couldn’t stop the soft laugh that escaped his mouth. The Shadowhunter snapped around immediately on alert, when their eyes met through the glass panes Magnus could see the warrior give way to mortification. That red, that Magnus was beginning to thoroughly enjoy, flooded his cheeks.

He took his time crossing the living room to the terrace doors. Stepping out into the morning air, to face the other man who looked light years away from the confident man he had been a few moments earlier. It pained Magnus a little to see how quickly he seemed to lose that self-assuredness, but he couldn’t help but also find it endearing. 

“I think you’re beautiful, Shadowhunter.” Magnus was an immortal warlock, if he hadn’t come from a species that was direct about such things, centuries of living would have taught him how to be open. He wasn’t shy and liked to appreciate perfection when he found it. He didn’t miss the disbelief in Alexander’s eyes, but he ignored it for the time being. They would work on his confidence. It upset him when the Shadowhunter hurriedly pulled on his black t-shirt, but he couldn’t find a good enough reason for him to keep it off. I’m becoming obsessed with your body, did seem like it would be a compelling argument. So, he decided to direct the discussion in a different way.

“I see you’ve met Chairman Meow.” Magnus indicated the cat who was now calmly cleaning itself, seeming to have lost interest in the scene playing out in front of him.

“What- oh yeah. His name’s Chairman Meow? That’s funny.” Alec added shyly smiling back at the disaffected cat. “I didn’t realize Warlocks cared that much about human history.”

Magnus thought about his words for a second, before Alec’s gazed snapped back to his a look of concern. “Meaning no disrespect.” 

Magnus tutted with exasperation. He understood Alec had been raised to observe certain rules, but he wished he could smack him upside the head.

“Please! I told you to forget all that nonsense. And I was serious about learning more about you. If that is ever going to happen, we have to start dealing with all the obstacles built up between our species. The first one being this damn etiquette.” Magnus moved back to the door to the apartment that was now standing open. With a nod and a smile, he indicated that Alexander should follow him into the room. 

“Let’s eat breakfast, I’m starving!” Magnus continued conversationally hoping that his light tone would put the other man at ease. He couldn’t ignore how increasingly domestic it was starting to feel as he pulled two coffee cups down from the cabinet. “How do you take it?”

“In a glass.” Magnus was surprised to turn and find Alexander calmly sitting at a high chair situated in the center of the kitchen island. He seemed quite comfortable.

“Should have known you would want it straight.” Magnus sighed dramatically, offering him the cup.

“It’s the only thing straight about me.” Magnus almost choked on his first sip of coffee at Alexander’s words. As it was, he had to cough for a full minute before he regained the power of speech.

“Did you just make a joke? About your sexuality?” Magnus expected a flush of red, but instead he got a confused blue set of eyes who seemed nonplussed.

“I’m sorry I thought you knew I was gay. Is that a problem?” The blue turned to steel; his words came out carefully measured. 

It was a problem, but not in the way Alexander meant. With the image of the Shadowhunter shirtless still fresh in his mind, he felt a thrill go up his spine. Who was this man? Every time Magnus thought he had Alexander figured out, he did something that completely surprised him.

“At ease soldier, Warlocks have never had a stiff categorization when it comes to sexuality or gender, we let desire guide who we love, not social conventions. I just never expected you to say it so flippantly. Are Shadowhunter’s fine with-” Magnus waved his hand vaguely. He had vampire friends and a few human acquaintances, but he didn’t know a lot about the complexities of sexuality when it came to species that were less libertine than Warlocks.

“Most were fine.” Magnus didn’t miss the intentionally cryptic wording, there was pain lurking just below them. This was getting far too serious a conversation for seven o’clock in the morning. 

“I have another important question.” Magnus drew himself up, trying to look as serious as possible while wearing a butterfly embroidered robe. “Do you, or do you not, like pancakes?”

“I- what?” Alexander accomplished a very adorable transition from grim sadness to utter confusion.

“Pancakes, fluffy, American of course none of that European nonsense, covered with syrup. Are you for or against their appearance this morning?” Magnus leaned forward as if asking serious advice. He therefore had a front row seat for the wide smile that slowly worked its way across Alexander’s face.

“For, definitely for.” He said when the smile was fully in place. “Can I take a shower first?”

“But of course, young Shadowhunter, I wouldn’t want you to know my secret recipe anyway.” Magnus watched Alexander move back to the guest room allowing his eyes to travel south for only a second before he turned to the task at hand. He couldn’t think about his openly gay Shadowhunter, who was currently undressing a room away, he would burn the pancakes.

Breakfast went off without a hitch. They made polite small talk. Magnus learned that Alexander had three siblings. Isabelle, Jace, who was apparently adopted, and Max, Magnus could see the love that Alexander had for them. How had he once thought this man was unfeeling?

He learned that Jace was the golden boy. Alexander spoke with pride about the accomplishments of his brother and seemed to deflect questions about his own.

After the meal, they decided to get to work outlining the vision from Delphi and Magnus started pulling volumes of books that might help them.

Alec was a diligent worker, but Magnus could still feel a wall between them. He knew that he was part of the problem. When talking about the situation both men seemed to be choosing their words carefully. They were both aware that the other was holding something back. Magnus didn’t know how to reach across the silence and open the door. He hoped by the end of the week he would have finally broken down the wall between them. But he was a little scared of how close he felt to the Shadowhunter already. If the walls came down, where would that leave them? 


	9. Chapter 9

Magnus started to feel a shift after several days of isolation. They were both starting to feel a bit stir crazy. This was such a stupid practice, an antiquated protocol that had been instituted when assassinations were a huge fear from factional infighting. It made sense 500 years ago to have a lockdown practice, even though it was never used.

Now it was foolish, even more dangerous to mandate someone stay in the same place giving someone the opportunity to discover the weakness of their magic. But of course, Lilith wasn’t doing this in any way to protect Magnus, she wanted him contained with the added bonus of free reign in the Palatine to do whatever she wanted with sole access to the Nexus.

However, in some ways it was a blessing. Without the craziness of court life, Magnus could refocus his efforts around discovering what exactly the fates had shown him at Delphi. Then there was the other blessing, Alexander. Maybe it was being away from the immortal court or perhaps being in the City, which was his home, but the other man had relaxed in his presence, becoming more and more comfortable. They had started to share little moments.

Alexander always woke up first and for the last three mornings he would have a cup of coffee waiting for Magnus for when he woke considerably later. They spent most of their time pouring over Magnus’ magical texts and Alexander had taken to asking him questions, showing how curious he was about the new world he occupied.

“I have an idea Alexander.” It was around midday on Saturday and they were in their usual stations. Magnus in the soft armchair in front of the windows and Alexander at the kitchen table, books strewn around him. He had just asked an innocuous question about the relationship between magics. “A question for a question, answer for an answer. I do want to learn more about Shadowhunters.”

“Alright, what’s your question?” Alexander spoke wearily looking at Magnus appraisingly.

Magnus tried to quickly prioritize all of the questions that immediately shouted in his brain. Honestly, he thought it was going to be more of a struggle to get Alexander to agree. Now he was caught with his pants down, so to speak.

“What is the significance of the tattoos?” It seemed like a good intermediate question. It was best to not get too personal up top.

“The runes?” Alexander seemed taken aback by the question. And Magnus was surprised when he was gifted by a bright smile. “You guys really don’t know a lot about Shades. Didn’t you ever see your old Light Guard in combat?”

“You may find this hard to believe since everything has been one thing after the next since you got here, but the Palatine and the surrounding region have been at peace for eight hundred years!” Magnus matched his smile, but had a playful defensiveness in his voice. “I barely knew him and there was never a reason for me to see him in action.”

“What about in the War, surely you must have seen rune used then.’’ The Shadowhunter seemed to mellow slightly as he leaned into the question.

“We didn’t exactly fight side by side. There was a lot of, shall we say, friction between Warlocks and Shadowhunters. We collaborated on strategy, but often it wasn’t exactly clear if we were truly allies.” There was a brief pause as Magnus was pulled into a dark time. They had been so thankful to reach a new land, so full of hope and ready to fight for their new home. They thought they would find unity with the other magical beings, but it had been all cold steel and anger. Not all Warlocks had been felled by the enemy, many had simply disappeared and the pain of that loss of hope would never truly fade. Still he shook it away, this man before him was so far from those ancient warriors of his species who had seen enemies in allies.

“Never mind all that- you still haven’t answered my question.” Magnus said pointedly.

“The runes were given to us by the Angel at the beginning of our kind. Or at least, that is what we are taught. They help us tap into our magic when we are in battle. Each of them has meaning and when they’re activated they convey their power to us.” Alexander explained simply almost dismissively, but Magnus was completely enthralled. He thought they were decorative, at most ceremonial.

“Wait, back up and slow down. They are magical markings with special meanings that, when activated, convey power to you?” Magnus repeated it back mostly for himself.

“Yes, I mean yeah?” Alexander seemed unsure what to do with Magnus’ sudden enthusiasm.

“How do you activate them?” He wanted to ask who the hell the Angel was, but the activation of the magical runes seemed to be more of a pressing question.

Magnus watched with rapt attention as Alexander produced the stele that each of the Shadowhunters always seemed to have close. Rolling up his sleeve, Alec seemed to activate the rune by tracing over a marking with his stele. Magnus heard the slight sizzle and the faint smoke, horrified Magnus lunged forward.

“No, don't hurt yourself!” Magnus crossed the room in a flash and was taking hold of the Shadowhunter’s arm to stop his movements even though he was aware that the mark had already been fully traced. Yet, he could still smell the rancid aroma of Alec’s burning skin. All negative emotions were chased away, however when Alexander looked up at him with his wide blue eyes and a sheepish smile.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt.” He must have seen the disbelief on Magnus’ face, because he continued. “I’m not really burning my skin, it’s complicated, but most of what you see is just the magic being activated. I promise.”

“Good.” Magnus said with a sigh as he sank into the chair across from the mortal. “So what did that give you exactly?  
“Endurance. I’m going to need it if I’m going to continue reading this, it’s boring as sin.” He said with a dramatic sigh.

“Personally, I have never found sin boring.” Magnus made sure to say this with a wicked grin. Alexander immediately became flustered making Magnus’ grin widen into a smile. He decided to take pity on the other man and shift the conversation back into safe territory. “I’m guessing that would help you in battle.”

“We use them on missions.”

“Missions, to fight demons.” Magnus knew a little about the activities of Shadowhunters. Mostly he heard stories through his paranormal club goers. There seemed to be a lot of mixed emotions about Shadowhunters. There had always been friction between many of the night species and Shadowhunters since the latter came up with the law and implemented it with impunity.

“Yes and anything else that is endangering the human population of the city. Magical creatures of all kinds are drawn here because of the nexus, but not all of them respect human life.” Alexander said the words as if regurgitating something he had heard many times.

“What do you do for fun, Alexander?” Magnus asked on a whim, but quickly became genuinely interested.

“Wh-what?” Alexander looked completely taken aback by his question.

“For fun, what do you do?” He seemed to think about it, and think about it. Goodness, this shouldn’t be a hard question.

“I guess, spend time with my siblings. But I think it’s my turn for a question.” That seemed more like a deflection than an answer, but they were talking so candidly and Magnus didn’t want to ruin it.

“Why aren’t you close with your sister? I mean why is she doing this?” Alexander asked with a sudden directness.

“What a complicated question, but straight to the issue at hand, I respect that.” Magnus said leaning back in his chair. “In the world of Warlocks, blood and power are everything. Lilith and I are from the same blood, meaning that despite age we are equal in that standing. When it comes to power, we all have core magic and then a high power that we practice. Usually we can only use one. I, however, can use all of them although I have cultivated Nature or Earth Magic. Regardless, this means that in a head to head match up, I am more powerful than Lilith. It is only precedence, and my own disinterest, that keeps me from the throne.” Magnus hadn’t meant to be so free with information, but isolated in this place, facing the coming destruction it seemed foolish to speak vaguely.

“We were never close, like you are with your siblings. But there was a time when we understood each other. Power can change all of that, but growing up with our father, we had a certain amount of camaraderie between us. He was a,” Magnus paused for a moment looking for the right word. “Difficult man. When our world started to crumble, we both decided to escape from our father and try and find a better way of life. Then we came to these lovely shores. But the magic in this realm is different than ours and it immediately started to affect us. Most notably the slight categorization of magic was solidified into distinct sects. Each drawing power from the world in different ways. I, being predisposed to all still, suddenly became even more powerful than Lilith. And while before Lilith’s cunning might have tipped the scale in her favor, my reliance on Earth magic, which is so strong here, immediately made me a guaranteed winner, by the laws of blood and power. That was the beginning of the end for us, now we are related only by name.”

“So by corrupting the power of the earth, she can become more powerful than you. Is that the only reason?” There it was, the question that was at the heart of the silence between them.

“Alexander, do you think that Warlocks are evil creatures? I mean on average, do you think they are bad?” Magnus had spent so long disliking and disregarding Shadowhunters, he had never truly thought about what they might think of Warlocks. Until the new Light Guards had come, he had simply assumed the hatred that had always been there remained.

* * *

Alec appraised the man across from him. He was, as always, impeccably dressed, but Alec had been noticing that here in this more human setting, he didn’t seem as unattainable. Alec could imagine bumping into him in a coffee shop, it would completely derail his day, but still the Prince of the Palatine would never be in such a mundane place.

What was more, Alec had found that Magnus put him at ease. Of course at the beginning there had been friction, but it had quickly faded away into something else.

“Shade’s still don’t have a very positive view of Warlocks. There is a lot of- history- between our species.” Alec decided he could look the other man in the eyes as he spoke. “But I think, at least we four, don’t want to simply believe what other people have told us. We have found that Warlocks are complicated just like any other creature, it’s down to the individual.” Alec could hold the kohl lined eyes for the whole speech and nervously glanced down at his hands as he spoke. “Does…does that answer your question?”

“Yes Alexander, you are so interesting to me. You are so honest with me, I feel like I owe you the truth. We had another note from the Light Guards before they died.” As Magnus spoke, Alec held his breath not wanting to disrupt Magnus in any way. He could tell that the other man was nervous. “They were able to tell us the date of the event. The cyclops said it would happen when April turns to May.”

“That’s only a month away.” Alec felt his mind go into overdrive as he tried desperately to take stock of everything they knew and what they still had to figure out. He felt like, while they had all the key information, when and where, they were completely ignorant of all of the details that would fill in the holes that threatened to consume them.

“I have been checking the calendars of this world and I think it must be tied with the Celtic Beltane Festival. It is a celebration of fertility and life, but more importantly it is when Earth magic is at its strongest and most vital. A disruption at this time could destroy the whole turn of the wheel. The magic wouldn’t be renewed, it would begin to fester.” Magnus paused long enough for Alec to look over at him. He looked guilty as he twisted a fat silver ring he had on his left thumb.

“It’s fine Magnus, we knew there was more to the story.” Alec tried to sound reassuring, but his words only increased the twisting of the ring.

“They also told us that the Cyclops had been robbed.” Magnus looked up a genuine concern on his face. “The Light Guards weren’t willing to tell us what was taken by messenger. They were coming back to tell us. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything from the beginning. I didn’t know anything about Shadowhunters or what to expect from a new set of Light Guard. We were afraid that if you were, like the Shadowhunter’s of old, you might not be willing to help us. I guess I also felt guilty about what happened to the old Light Guard and I didn’t want to admit that I wasn’t able to keep them safe.”

Magnus finished in a rush looking up at Alec with wide, golden eyes. Alec admired how he seemed to default so easily to total honesty.

“Magnus, I need you to understand that I would, and maybe will, die for you.” Alec leaned forward ignoring Magnus slight paling at his words. He knew the other man was sheltered in many ways, he was unfamiliar with tragedy and it therefore had a deeper effect on him. However, Alec couldn’t deal with that right now. He had to focus on what he needed to say. “We understand that dying young is a high probability for us.”

Magnus opened his mouth a look of distress that made clear to Alec that he was going to try and protest. Alec knew what he was going to say. He knew that it would be hard for Magnus to hear, but he needed to, so before he could speak Alec reached out a hand to cover the other man’s. Silencing him with a touch.

“Being warriors and mortals may seem like a paradox, I guess in your world of immortality it would be. But it’s all we know, so Shades find things to cherish that are more than simple life. We live in this paradox and accept that for everything that is worthy comes suffering as well. Accepting that we must pay with pain is one of the first lessons we learn.” Alec had gone leader of the institute, a mode that Izzy had told him was insufferable. But it was easier to hide behind professionalism, so he didn’t think about how Magnus could become something that he cherished.

“I’m saying all this because I know you feel guilty about what happened to the other Light Guards, but you have to understand they died as Warriors, as Shadowhunters.” Alec used Magnus’ words, hoping it would give more weight to what he was saying. “We are yours to command, all we can ask is that you don’t squander our lives. Especially, my siblings, I need to ask you to please understand the who we are and the price of you actions. If not for me, then for the other Guards, understand you hold our lives and use them carefully.”

“How can you so easily give me something so precious?” Magnus responded softly after a long pause. Alec didn’t want to point out that he didn’t have a choice. A pact had been made centuries ago that had resulted in him sitting in this chair, a piece of Magnus’ magic in his heart. He was bound by more than duty and magic though and that is what made him hold his tongue. Alec wanted to protect this man and strangely he felt grateful. While the situation was terrible, hadn’t he wanted to dedicate his life to protecting people? And wasn’t that what he was doing? He was fighting to protect the world and a magical, sparkling man.

In that moment, Magnus lifted Alec’s hand, pressing a kiss to his pulse. It made Alec flush scarlet. As he pulled his hand back like it had been burned. Intimacy was still strange to him, especially when it was with someone to which he was genuinely attracted.

“Alexander, we will never squander your lives. We consider you strong allies in this fight and we respect you as individual actors, with independent wills. Please if you believe nothing else, please believe me when I say your lives are precious to us.”

Alec wanted to ask more, to ask if he was precious to Magnus, but this wasn’t the time. Magnus had come clean, he sat before Alec all softness and refined beauty with an endearing earnestness. He felt a tug in his chest where Magnus’ magic was bonded with his own. It was time to lay all the chips on the table.

“You weren’t the only one’s keeping secrets. Magnus, we think, I mean from the Cyclops. They are also old beings of this world. They were tasked with, well the story is, they were tasked with forging weapons for the gods. They were told where the holy metal was and given a home beneath the volcano.” Alec brushed his sweaty palms against his pants. He was trying desperately to return to the aloofness he had possessed minutes earlier. One kiss and the great warrior Alexander Lightwood was a mushy, mumbling puddle.

“There are several Cyclops-made objects that are the most sacred to Shades.” Alec took a breath as he weighed the next words. “One of which is a sword, a Soul Sword.”

Alec looked at the man across from him. It was his turn to be uncertain. The Light Guards had obviously chosen not to share this even as the prophecy had hinted at something akin to a blade. He could only hope that the immortal wouldn’t be offended and would understand that the Guards were learning to trust as well.

“It’s fine, Alexander, it’s fine that we both kept secrets, as long as we are honest now.” Magnus smiled his dazzling smile and Alec felt himself relax.

“The Soul Sword.” Magnus said the name, seeming to taste the words. “It seems increasingly likely that Lilith has some other collaborator in this. And if this information is so closely guarded as it seems to be, by both Shades and Cyclops, it would follow that it is not a Warlock. The selected ritual is steeped in old lore and now this sacred object, she couldn’t possibly have put this together alone.”

Alec pondered Magnus’ words. He was right. The sacred objects were barely spoken about in the Sanctum, let alone in the company of Warlocks. If Lilith had the Soul Sword, however it wasn’t good news for anyone. Alec felt a thrum of adrenaline coursing through him, calling him to act.

“How much do you know about these Sacred Objects?” Magnus’ question caught him off guard and he had to reorganize his thoughts.

“Not much, only that they were made as a gift from the Angel at the very beginning. However their power proved to be too much for the mortal world and they were hidden. It makes sense that at least one would return to the Cyclops. The rest of the information is in the library at the Sanctum.”

Magnus’ response was cut off by a flash of blue magic that appeared along the bookshelf. With a flick of his wrist, Ragnor’s voice was sent through the room.

Going to Pandemonium - Meeting Fae Queen

The interruption had broken the intensity of the moment and Alec felt the need to run and hide. He had felt the tension growing between them and he was afraid that he would give too much away. Now however, he had a different emotion, Magnus must have seen the confusion on his face because he explained without needing to be asked.

“The Fae Queen or Seelie Queen, I’m sure you’ve heard of her and the fae folk. She is a center for earth magic and has felt the disturbance more than most. We now know that this could be due to the event building around a Celtic holiday. She sent us a distress call a few days ago and arranged a specially meeting.” Magnus explained with a smile.

“And Pandemonium?” Alec answered Magnus’ smile with a shy one of his own.

“My club, it’s part of this building. Magically sound proofed of course.” Magnus leaned back stretching his long beautiful limbs in an almost cat like movement. Alec could see the cocky grin on his face and tried to control the surprise he felt.

“You have a club?” Alec had never expected that immortal royalty would bother with a business, especially something so human. He was impressed and he felt once again that there was so much to discover about the man in front of him. What made it all terrible was the more he learned about him the more he wanted to learn.

“I love the expression on your face, young Shadowhunter. I think it’s the first time you’ve been really impressed with me. I guess I should try a little harder.” A suggestive eyebrow wiggle got a blush out of Alec as he started his retreat to his room. It was still a little early but he reminded Magnus they were released from their cage tomorrow and they needed to be well rested.

It was in the night that Alec woke up with a shout. He felt pain coursing through him originating from the rune on his hip. He sat up just as Magnus burst into the room, magic gleaming between his fingertips.

“Alexander, what is it? Are you okay?” He scanned the room, before he rushed to the bed sitting beside Alec. Magnus’ finger’s ghosted over him, unsure where to touch. Finally, he rested a reassuring hand on the bad of his neck, thumb stroking his cheek.

“It’s Jace.” Alec pulled up his shirt to reveal his parabatai rune that was currently an angry red.

“Jace? What do you mean? I don’t understand.” Magnus sounded slightly hysterical, but Alec temporarily blocked him out as he tried to sense the state of his blood brother.

“He’s in pain, a lot of pain. I can feel him, something’s wrong.” Alec said, the concern in his voice barely capturing the fear in his heart.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone- well it's been a crazy time. I hope everyone is getting by- social distancing but not social isolating. We need to look after each other, only take what you need and give what you can. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and stay strong! Love from Boston.

Isabelle sighed deeply. Why were men so difficult? Aggressive with an underlying insecurity, it seemed they simultaneously attacked and retreated. It had been weeks and Raphael for all his passionate glances had done little more than making an effort to speak with her or stand close. 

At this rate, she would die of old age before he made his move. Thank goodness she wasn’t one of those who thought it was important for men to make the first move. Life was too short to put the onus on one gender; it should fall to whoever had the most guts. Still his amount of swagger made her hesitate. She enjoyed him quite a bit. He was subtly kind, caring in a way that could often be overlooked. And it came in a hypnotically, alluring package. What more could a girl ask for? Still, he could be annoyingly confident, which made her unwilling to be too giving. 

“Izzy help me.” Clary's distressed voice came from her room across the hall. Before, her head appeared in the door. “Please tell me you have an outfit that would look amazing on me.” 

“Of course, who do you think I am?” Izzy loved finding just the right clothes that could reflect and elevate a person's natural attributes, whether they be internal or external. 

“You are a goddess among women.” Clary said with a huge smile as she bounced into the room, eagerly taking in the outfit that Izzy had laid out for her on the bed. 

While Shades weren’t limited by gender constraints when it came to their work, it was still nice to have another woman. They could talk about the idiocy of both Jace and Alec, understanding that there was something about men that made them predisposed to bad decisions. Besides that, Izzy liked Clary. She was just the right amount of fun and smart.

“What do you think will happen tonight?” Clary asked in a deceptively light tone. 

“We are going to look amazing and at least three men are going to fall in love with us.” Izzy said devilishly as she checked to make sure that the slightly winged eye makeup she was applying was even on both sides. 

“Oh, at least.” Clary agreed as she finished pulling on the deep blue, skintight dress that perfectly matched her eyes and highlighted the redness of her hair. 

“I think we need to stay vigilant. I can’t help but think everything that is happening is still in line with some evil plan. I don’t like feeling as though I’m nothing but a chess piece to be moved around. But I still can’t say with certainty that we can trust the immortals and that concerns me more, because it looks like we are going to need them.” Izzy kept looking in the mirror as she turned to more serious topics. 

“I know. Catarina is incredibly nice. She’s a nurse, did you know that? In the City. But still they are immortal that naturally puts you in a different class of thinking. I’m afraid they only need us for our neutralizing power, not for anything that makes us individuals. When it comes down to it, will they hesitate to sacrifice us? Or keep information from us that gets us killed, like the previous Light Guards.” Clary had stretched out on the bed, watching Izzy finish her makeup. 

Isabelle thought about what her friend said and for a moment her mind flitted to Raphael. She forgot sometimes that technically he was the enemy. Although she was sworn to protect him, there was this huge void between them. Even if she liked his smile it didn’t erase the reality of the situation. 

“I think they are trying to work with us. But I agree with you, we have to be careful. We have so little experience with Warlocks especially at this level. And in the end, we have the most to lose if we fail.”

“Well, this is a cheery conversation. You girls definitely know how to party.” Jace’s light voice drew the attention of both girls. He was leaning against the door frame looking dashing as always. Clary immediately stood up making sure that the short dress was covering everything it was supposed to. 

Izzy smiled as she saw the usually cool and aloof Jace go slack jawed for a moment. He would never say it out loud, but they all knew Clary had him wrapped around her little finger. He absolutely adored her. He shook his head slightly as if trying to clear his mind.

“I know I’m the reckless one.” Jace said and was interrupted by both Izzy and Clary’s snort. “I said I know!” He reacted indignantly. “Anyway, I know I’m the reckless one, but I can’t help but think the whole  _ we have the most to lose  _ statement tells us what we need to do.” 

“What do you mean?” Izzy said warily, fully preparing to protest whatever crazy scheme Jace thought was “obvious.” 

“I think we should tell them about the Sacred Objects, what the Cyclops were forging and what it is intended to do.” Jace said the words all in one breath, as if he was relieved to get them out. 

“What? You mean everything? You think we should tell them everything.” Clary said slowly her eyes wide as she took in her boyfriend.

“If we have the most to lose then we need to risk the most. It’s simple. We are bonded to these people whether we like it or not. Alec is getting closer with Magnus; I can feel how strong their tie is.” Jace took a second, gathering himself as both of the women looked on. “And Izzy we can all tell you are in lust with Raphael.”

Izzy tried to make a dismissive sound but wasn’t sure if she quite pulled it off. She had spent her whole life with these people. It shouldn't surprise her that she couldn’t hide from them, but still she was slightly alarmed at being called out. 

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is we are vulnerable; this is our world that is threatened. If this catastrophe is truly as bad as it seems. I don’t think we can afford to play it safe.” Jace spoke with his usually candor and Izzy couldn’t help but see his point. They were taught to be very selective to whom they gave their trust, but in this situation, it didn’t seem like they had much of a choice. 

“As much as it pains me to admit, I have to agree with Jace.” Izzy said while giving him an affectionate smile. “As I understand it, you and Ragnor are meeting with the Fae at 11 in the office of the club. We will stay on the floor and make sure everything goes off without a hitch. After we have the meeting, I think we should be completely transparent about what we know.”

“I agree.” Clary added as she crossed the room to Jace. “Now, let’s go get you changed.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Jace said with a slightly defensive whine. 

“I’m not Izzy, but even I know we can do better than this.” Clary said with fake sympathy as she indicated the slightly wrinkled black shirt and old jeans. “Come on, I can save you.” 

Izzy couldn’t help but laugh softly as Clary herded him out the door. Waving goodbye over her shoulder and making a plan to meet later with their Eternals. Izzy turned back to her reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath. She knew she looked amazing, but every time she saw Clary and Jace together she had to swallow a small lump that formed in her throat. She was fine being alone, but sometimes she longed to have someone by her side. 

An unbeckoned image of Raphael flashed across her mind. She shook herself, now wasn’t the time for nonsense. He was an immortal; he would never be hers’ not really. She refocused on her reflection. The lace bodysuit was sheer up top and faded into a spandex pant. Her silver whip was coiled around her wrist and a form fitting blade ran down her leg. She was careful to make sure that all her weapons were easily accessible. Then she turned her attention back to her makeup and hair, making sure they were perfectly done. 

“A thousand years in this world and I don’t yet have the words to describe you.” Raphael’s silk voice came from a dark corner of the room. 

She had sensed a new person, but she assumed it was Clary or Jace, so his voice made her start slightly reaching for her weapon, before she recognized him. When her eyes met his, her mouth went dry. 

He was leaning against the door frame, his dark eyes trained on her. He was wearing a deep red floral suit that was clearly tailored to him. Isabelle loved when a man wasn’t afraid to wear patterns and this one was perfect, subtle and sexy. The open black silk shirt that plunged to a low neckline didn’t hurt either. 

“Warlock Royal or not, a bad line is still a bad line.” Izzy said with a smirk. She turned away, applying a red lip to complete the look. 

“Is it time to go?” Izzy asked as she turned back to him, holding his intoxicating gaze as she crossed the room to him. She made her way to stand directly in front of him, making sure to get too close. She could tell that he was making a point not to look down at her low-cut top. It was cute. 

“Now, you aren’t going to do anything stupid tonight. If anything happens, you’ll stay behind me and let me handle it.” Izzy followed an impulse and used her finger to lift his chin.

“Why should I let you have all the fun?” His breath was hot on her face, they were so close.

“Because, if you don’t, I’ll have to punish you.” Izzy gripped his chin, making sure it was a little too tight. She knew he didn’t misinterpret her suggestive smile. The moment stretched on and Izzy was about to take the final step forward, when he moved back.

“We should get going, we’re going to meet them there.” Raphael’s voice sounded a bit breathless, but he had broken the moment, moving towards the main door to the Shade’s apartment. Izzy had to quell a dramatic sign as she followed him out the door. Raphael was a tricky nut to crack; he was seductive as hell, but he always seemed to back away at the last moment. 

Thankful, their destination was just below in the building, so she didn’t have a long time to mull it over. The club was packed when they arrived. Writhing bodies one on top of the other moved in time to the beat. Izzy loved this world, driven by desire. It was a place where you didn’t have to worry about anything but feeling the beat and elbowing any creep that got too close.

Of course, she wasn’t here for fun. They were here to meet with the representatives of the Fae Court. The immortals had been contacted by a glittering man, who was clearly a higher Fae. Then Ragnor explained that they had some reliable people in the Queen’s court who were consulting their magic to try and uncover the source of the corruption. They reached out seeming desperate and scared, never a good sign.

“Come with me, we’re going to meet Magnus’ club manager.” Raphael said his eyes still trained on Isabelle. 

“The Prince runs this place?” Clary whispered to Izzy as they followed Raphael into the crowd. Izzy shrugged back at her. It did seem strange that an immortal would run a club, but she had quickly realized that she knew very little about these royals. It was strangely unsettling as she followed the black outline of Raphael through the warehouse shaped space towards a set of stairs. 

Clary stayed at the edge of the dance floor with Catarina. The immortal seemed a little out of place in the loud overcrowded club. Izzy followed Raphael closely, taking a few extra moments to take in his ass perfectly displayed in the skintight pants he was wearing. 

The club’s office was a deceptively large space that hung on like a bubble on the side of a bathtub. However, the many tinted windows meant that someone in the room could easily see the whole room without being seen themselves. 

When Izzy reached the top of the stairs, she carefully indicated for Raphael to wait as she entered the office space first. She was his Light Guard after all and even though all these immortals seemed to take stupid risks, she could at least try to minimize the fallout. 

The office was larger than she expected, but completely open, allowing her to easily see it was occupied by only one person. Sensing no magical presence, she turned her attention to the person who was currently collecting papers off the ground where he had clearly knocked them off his desk. He had the kind of frantic energy that Izzy found endearing.

She had to clear her throat to bring his attention to her. And she could see that he had deep brown eyes that matched his hair. He was definitely hot, the nerdy sexy kind that the CW tried to convince people wasn’t attractive. But the deep blush that came over his face when they locked eyes was enough to hook Izzy. 

“Oh, uh, hi sorry I didn’t see you there.” He tried to straighten too fast and all the papers scattered to the ground again. “Crap.”

Izzy gracefully moved forward, kneeling in front of him to help gather the papers together. He had turned a rather deep shade of red and the glasses that were precariously perched on his nose would have slipped off if Izzy hadn’t placed a finger on the bridge and slowly pushed them back into place. 

“Careful tiger, you’ll break something.” She loved the way his eyes went wide at her words and followed her as she straightened. 

“Ay mios dios, Simon you would think you’d never seen a woman before.” Raphael’s lilted voice came from behind her. She watched with interest as Simon flushed darker as he looked over her shoulder at what she knew was an utterly ravishing Raphael. 

“Rafe--- I mean Raphael. What are you-- what are you doing here?” Simon carelessly placed the papers on the desk behind. Izzy was incredibly interested by the sexual tension that filled the room and appeared to have nothing to do with her. 

“We are here for the meeting stupido.” Raphael’s voice was playfully serious as he took in the surprisingly tall man who was awkwardly fidgeting in front of him. “And stop looking like that, I’m not going to ravage you in the middle of the club office.” 

Izzy wanted to ask so many questions, but she recognized that now was not the time. Still the image of Raphael ravaging Simon stuck in her mind, making itself right at home. 

“I’m Isabelle Lightwood, Raphael’s new Light Guard.” Izzy introduced herself since it was becoming apparent that no one else would. 

“Oh, I’m Simon Lewis, vampire and club manager.” Simon took her outstretched hand and made a point of looking her in the eyes, which did nothing to calm Izzy’s raging hormones. 

“Is everything prepared for the meeting?” Raphael asked, coming up beside Izzy.

“Yes, all the wards are in place.” Simon said with a serious expression. “And, I’m sorry about the mess.” 

“Oh, never mind that, the Fae will hate everything about this place. They’re all open air and harps. They won’t even notice the mess.” Izzy said reassuringly, making a point to reach out and rub his shoulder. 

Izzy turned to signal to Jace to come up with Ragnor. The Fae only wanted to meet with Ragnor, he had been really spooked. 

“He should arrive soon, so we should get out of here.” Raphael said as the other two men entered the office. “Good luck.” 

Izzy exchanged a slight nod with Jace, before turning back to the still slightly red vampire. 

“Well then come down and dance with me fang boy.” Izzy said reaching out to grab Simon by the shirt. But she didn’t put any effort into pulling him, she knew he would follow her. She walked directly into Raphael’s personal space. “Care to join?” 

Izzy didn’t wait for a response. Raphael had some issue giving in to her and she acknowledged that maybe a roundabout way was needed for her to get what she wanted. It didn’t escape her notice that she wasn’t entirely sure what it was that she wanted. But it at least started with her dancing in this awesome club and if she also got two sexy men, then that was all the better. 

She made certain that the place she chose on the dance floor gave her sightlines on all the egresses and the office. Her main goal however was to keep an eye on the rabble and see if there was anything suspicious. That wasn’t terribly easy with pounding club music and a mass of writhing bodies, but her heightened Shade senses went a long way into sifting through the clutter. 

And she still had some left over to see Simon slowly start to give into the music. He couldn’t dance incredibly well, but it was the endearing sort of bad, where you couldn’t help but join in because he was clearly having a great time. She tried not to feel too pleased when Raphael appeared on her right, taking them both in as they danced. She kept drawing close to Simon, but he seemed uncertain what to do with his hands.

It was strange but Simon’s uncertainty seemed to give Raphael the resolve he needed. Isabelle felt one of his arms snake around her middle, a comfortable warmth as they moved together. His warm breath tickled the back of her neck. The other arm moved over her shoulder to grab Simon by the nape of the neck, pulling him into them so they could dance all together. 

For just a moment it was perfect. Isabelle felt content, comfortable in the music and the company. Then her attention was drawn to a woman on the edge of the dance floor. The woman in front of her could easily be lost in the crowd of dancers, but a Shade could recognize a glamour. What was more, Izzy could see through the disguise, reading the signs that showed her true form. Isabelle recognized her in a rush and in a moment her hackles were raised.

Izzy could feel magic ripple through the air. She recognized the sickly-sweet smell of Ichor, and knew an attack was coming. The seconds that her instincts afforded her were key. She sent her signal flash to warn Clary, but comfortably wedged between two men she needed to protect, her options were limited. Still, she was the best for a reason. She knew the layout of the club, because they had studied it as soon as they learned about the meeting. So, she knew that there was a small barrier behind her where people could watch the dancers. 

With a flick of her wrist, her whip engaged, and she sent a powerful stick over her shoulders. She knew exactly where to place it so the watchers would scatter. Then she threw her weight back, toppling Raphael back and taking Simon with her. Expecting what was coming, she was able to gracefully vault over the obstacle as the other men tumbled, making obvious noises of confusion.

They tried to get to their feet, but Izzy pushed them down with a hand on each of their chests. She looked at Raphael using her scary face and praying he would listen. 

“Stay down, no matter what.” She saw something of understanding dawning on Raphael’s face. Then the first scream came. She straightened and turned to face three huge demons. Clary was already engaging with one, so that left two for her, great.

All she could do was attack and hope that she could hold them off long enough for Clary or Jace to help her. Using her stele, she engaged endurance and strength, with any luck they would get her through. 

Someone yelled gun and the screaming increased as people ran for the door. Glass smashed and people didn’t seem to care about those around them as they dashed for the exit. Isabelle couldn’t think about that right now, she had to deal with the venomous demon directly in front of her. 

The demons in front of her appeared to be mid-level, they had two sets of teeth one on top of the other. She could tell that their eyes were small and oddly placed, almost like they were deformed. They must have several blind spots, which gave her an advantage.

As soon as her whip made contact, she knew that there was something off. The silver metal cut through the demon’s like they were made of butter. Chunks of flesh started to peel away even as the demons continued to lunge at her biting. The venom that spewed from their frothing mouth was deadly, but all and all they seemed wrong. As if they were decaying, rabid. 

They had slow jerky movements that caught Izzy by surprise. They would go slowly then lash out. She was landing some powerful blows, but they didn’t seem to care even as their blood poured onto the floor. One of the demons kept trying to snag her leg with a long-forked tongue. Constantly avoiding the low grab and the cutting teeth from the demon above was particularly taxing. 

Finally, the disgusting tongue snagged her right leg pulling her down. She had just a second to register surprise when the tongue was severed by the decisive attack of a slightly shaking Simon. Raphael stood beside him a fiery look in his eyes and a shining dagger clutched in his right hand. 

He reached out a hand to help her to her feet. Izzy was momentarily speechless, somewhere between outraged that they had come into danger and touched that they were standing next to her ready to fight. 

“You look like a warrior goddess, mi Corazon.” Raphael’s voice whispered in her ear. And Izzy gave out a slight yelp as he nipped at her ear. She couldn’t respond, because she had to pull them both back as the demons regrouped for another attack. But the attack never came. The demons froze, slowly turning their malformed heads to the rear of the building, as the room was suddenly bathed in light. 

She saw the woman who had started all this, Camille, shed her glamor as she stepped up to the elevated stage that was now brightly lit. Izzy watched as several figures appeared beside her. Izzy felt bewitched as she watched a man materialize. A man who terrorized the nightmares of every Shade child. The darkest part of their history. 

“Jace!” Clary’s scream cut through the club. Isabelle turned to look at the stairs to the office where Jace was currently standing the body of a Fae man at his feet and Ragnor Fell draped over his shoulders. Even from this distance, she could see they were both splattered with blood. But what had sparked Clary’s scream was the light. It seemed to be wrapping itself around Jace and with a jerk he was pulled forward to the figures on the stage. 

Like air being sucked into vacuum, the light snapped into the original source and they were all gone, demons and all. 

Isabelle couldn’t move for another five seconds even as Ragnor groaned, from the stairs where he had been dropped after Jace had been taken. 

“Who was that?” Simon’s question came out as a squeak. 

“A dead man.” Was all Izzy could think to say. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming

Magnus didn’t know what to do. He should do something, shouldn’t be useless, but all he could think to do was reach around Alec’s shoulders and pull him close. He didn’t know if it was for Alexander’s comfort or his own. The whole room seemed to be spinning, in time with Alec’s rapid breathing.

“What is going on Alexander? Tell me, what’s going on?” Magnus whispered the words into the other man’s hair, at his words Alexander seemed to come back to himself a little. Some of the tension left him, but he was still clamping onto Magnus’ arm, his knuckles white as he clutched it tightly. 

Magnus hated this. He hated that Alexander was in pain and there was nothing he could do. That he hadn’t learned enough about Alexander to know what to do, how to help him. Was this something to do with Alexander’s mysterious bond with the other Shadowhunter? Jace had been able to feel Alexander’s pain when Lilith had lashed out. Was Alexander feeling Jace’s pain now? Fear lanced through him. What about Ragnor? Had the whole party been attacked?

He stifled that fear, he had to focus on Alexander. The man currently in his arms, who was taking deep calming breaths. Magnus needed to understand the situation fully, then he would freak out if needed. 

“You are bonded with Guard Wayland?” Magnus used a soft but commanding tone, hoping that he could engage Alexander as a soldier. 

“We’re Parabatai.” The blue-eyed man looked up as he spoke, still sleep rumpled and slightly adorable. Magnus had to remind himself that they were in the middle of a crisis. “It means we are connected. It’s meant for battle, we are perfectly attuned to fight together, but it’s more than that. We feel each other all the time, it’s like an extra sense, an empathetic link.”

Magnus felt an increasingly familiar flush of shame. He had long ago abandoned the idea that Shadowhunters were an emotionless violent species devoid of overly sophisticated emotional attachments. But there were still times when he was surprised by these Light Guards and it reminded him how deep and skewed his perception had been. Then, there was the other side of his shame. Even in this moment of high tension, he wanted to ask how the Parabatai bond felt in comparison to the bond they shared. But now wasn’t the time for any of that, not when his loved ones were in danger. 

“You can feel him all the time.” Magnus carefully controlled his tone. “That is how he knew you were lying about being in pain.” Without realizing it Magnus had started to run his fingers through the other man’s jet-black hair. Once again, he didn’t know if it was for Alexander’s comfort or his own. 

“Yes, we are especially attuned to pain- and Magnus, he is in pain.” Alexander paused for a second as he seemed to gather himself. “You said they were meeting with a member of the Seelie court. That the Fae had sensitive information they needed to convey?” 

“Yes, I have several contacts in the court. They have been distressed by the disturbance in magic and have been investigating it from their position behind the veil. I have no idea what their message is though. Last time I spoke with them they still were in the dark as to what was going on.” Magnus had already told Alexander all this, but he figured a little bit of backtracking would help stabilize their current situation. 

“Magnus is there any loophole in the Sequestering magic?” Alexander looked at Magnus with an earnestness that bordered on desperation. “We have to get out of here. Something has gone wrong.”

Reluctantly, Magnus pulled from the semi-embrace on the bed. Standing, he activated his magic. The Sequestering would end at high noon that day, but maybe there was a loophole he could exploit. After all they weren’t technically leaving their designated area if you considered it a perimeter, they were simply moving down. Delicately he tried to push back the limits of the magic, so it reached into the lower levels of the building.

“I thought the meeting was meant to be simple. Would the Fae have posed any threat?” Alexander’s voice came from his right and was so close he almost lost the magic tendrils he was manipulating. 

“No, the Fae are a complicated species, but they understand more than most the effect this will have on this world. If the Earth magic is allowed to be corrupted it could threaten their very existence.” Magnus was grateful the old magic that locked them into the apartment proved to be highly suggestible, reacting to his desires and spreading down through the floors to the club below. 

“Then the attack must have come from another source. Jace is the best, it must have been serious judging by the amount of pain he was experiencing. It didn’t feel fatal, but what concerns me the most is I can’t feel him anymore.” Alexander’s voice sounded clinical and Magnus recognized the Shadowhunters usual method of compartmentalizing. “He isn’t gone, it’s like he’s masked. Someone has put up a smoke screen between us, so I can no longer sense him. I feel off, incomplete.” 

“Well, then I suggest we get out of here and figure out what the hell is going on.” Magnus said, as he finished extending the Sequestering magic. He turned to find his Light Guard in full Shadowhunter regalia hovering over his right shoulder. 

“Can we leave?” Alexander’s eyes were bright with anticipation and worry.

“Yes, I have made it so we can portal to the club below. But if we want to go anywhere else, we are going to have to wait until noon.” Magnus didn’t want to think about what they might find. He didn’t know Jace, he seemed complicated, but he could see how much he meant to Alexander. And more, Catarina, Raphael, and Ragnor, his oldest friend. Jace was his Light Guard, what might have happened to him? Was he hurt? 

“Let’s take it one step at a time. First let’s find out what happened.” Alexander had gone into soldier mode. Magnus found it strangely comforting to hear his clear, commanding voice.

“Well then, let’s get to it.” Magnus said, quickly exchanging his comfortable clothing for a form fitting bodysuit with a snap of his fingers. He wasn’t a trained warrior like Alexander, but he knew how to dress for any occasion. 

“I’m going to create a portal into the supply closet off of the main dance floor. That will probably be better than appearing directly in the middle of the action.” Magnus explained as he made a portal in front of them. He took a step forward only to be stopped by a hand.

“No Prince, I’m the Light Guard. I will go first.” Alexander stepped gracefully in front of him. He seemed to have decided against the bow in favor of his gleaming blade, which he now held expertly. Magnus wanted to protest, but knew it was pointless. 

“Very well, brave Shadowhunter, lead the way.” Magnus waited until he got the signal from Alexander that he should follow. He stepped through the portal and found himself surrounded by a dimly lit, tiny closet. He walked directly into Alexander’s arms, which steadied him. He had only a second to reflect on the feeling of the strong arms that encircled him, before he got a hold of himself pulling back.

“Stay behind me.” Alexander was just above him in the cramped space, so close he could feel his breath on his face. 

“I’m not completely useless Shadowhunter. I am a powerful warlock.” Magnus pointed out, using his magic to brighten the room. 

“And I am your bodyguard, so stay behind me.” Magnus assented with a silent pledge to do what was necessary to make sure the taller man in front of him was safe. 

Noiselessly, Alexander opened the door that led back to the club. The club had never been so aptly named; it was Pandemonium. It was almost completely empty, but there were clear signs that a struggle had occurred not to mention a minor stampede of people desperately trying to exit the area as quickly as possible. 

* * *

Alexander didn’t have time to be tired. Even though he was running on four hours of sleep and adrenaline. All he could think about was getting to Jace. It hadn’t been the pain that caused him to wake in a cold sweat his heart pounding. It was the fear. Jace had been scared, incredibly scared. Then came the pain. He had felt Jace reach out through their link, a sudden mental alarm bell had been sounded, then nothing. 

Alec knew his brother. He was brave to the point of obstinacy. Alec couldn’t imagine what would have caused Jace so much fear. It was all he could think about even as the pain faded and he found himself nestled in a certain warlocks’ arms. He wanted to simply enjoy the long fingers running through his hair, but it couldn’t fix the wrongness that was overwhelming him. Couldn’t shake that fear that clawed at his insides.

They had both been on edge when they went to bed that night. They knew the small reality they built together was about to disappear and they would have to face the real world once again. To make matters worse, they knew their compatriots were mere floors below meeting with representatives of the Seelie court. Being so close to the action and unable to take part made sleep allusive and peace of mind impossible. 

Now that Alec was advancing through an abandoned dance floor, he felt a sort of peace return to him. It felt good to be released from the apartment, to be part of the movement again. 

Alec was able to use his heightened senses to scan the open space, seeing the pattern of the fight. There had definitely been demons that attacked from the back corner. There he could see stairs leading to what appeared to be an office. 

“Is that you big brother.” Alec felt instant relief at the sound of his sister’s strong clear voice. 

“Izzy, have you secured the area?” Alec wanted to rush to her slender form which had appeared next to several overturned tables, but he held off knowing protocol. He could also see Clary and other figures who were staying low. 

“It’s secure- how are you here?” Izzy’s voice was filled with caution, which was understandable since Alec and Magnus were meant to still be on lockdown a few floors above. 

“It’s me. Magnus was able to extend the magic.” Alec advanced slowly making sure Magnus stayed behind him. It didn’t seem like there was any active danger, but better safe than sorry. 

“How many scars do I have on my hands?” Izzy hadn’t relaxed her posture and Alec knew better than to dismiss her safety concerns. They had been attacked; Izzy had to be sure he was real. 

“Twelve.” Alec answered immediately, making sure his voice was clear.

“What is your middle name?” Izzy was unrelenting. 

“Gideon.” Alec felt himself flush slightly. To make matters worse he knew that Izzy only included this question to make him embarrassed. She said it was her tomato test, which made him like it even less.

“What do we live by?” 

“ Solum Datur Illis Qui Pugnant Ei .” At his answer, Izzy finally was satisfied, lowering her weapon so that he could advance. In turn Alec turned to the quizzical warlock who had been patiently waiting behind him and signaled for him to advance. 

When they drew closer, Alec realized the cause of the tension in the air. Raphael and Catarina were currently anxiously administering to the prone form of Ragnor Fell. Alec heard a strangled noise from the man behind him and in a flash, Magnus was on his knees next to Ragnor. Alec felt a slight pang in his heart at the fear that twisted Magnus’ beautiful features. Still, he did a quick scan. Clary was standing on the other side of the group, still battle ready she looked fine except for a cut on her neck. Her expression was like stone, which made his stomach twist into a painful knot. 

The club was a mess. Demon blood and decaying flesh was found between upturned tables and smashed glasses on the floor. It was clear that there had been quite a stampede out the door, Alec hoped humans hadn’t been injured in the chaos. 

“What happened?” Alec whispered as he stood back taking in the scene. He could feel the desperation in him growing, he wanted to shout  _ where’s Jace? Why isn’t he here? Why can’t I feel him?  _ But he knew that Ragnor was the priority. He was an immortal royal and despite the gut churning fear for Jace, Alec had to focus on his responsibility. 

“Demon attack.” Izzy said in an equally soft tone as she reached out to give his arm a comforting squeeze. “They came out of a summoning ring. They killed the Fae and…” Izzy paused as Ragnor started groaning slightly. 

“We should take everyone back to the apartment. It would be better for Ragnor and we would all be safer.” Alexander spoke to the panicked group in front of him. The Shades were trained for these moments, when everything was careening out of control. He realized as Magnus desperately clutched at his friends’ hand, that it might have been centuries since Magnus had lost anyone. 

Despite his obvious distress, Magnus still seemed to heed Alec’s word and moved back enough to summon a portal that Alec assumed went back up to the apartment. Another flick, this time from Catarina who seemed to be an expert, her fingers never ceasing their administrations. 

“Clary said she’s a nurse, here in the city.” Isabelle said in response to Alec’s silent question. Alec liked gathering information; it took his mind off of the missing part of his heart. Clary went through first, curtly signaling to Catarina and her fellow guards that she would check that the coast was clear. On her signal, the immortals followed with Izzy and Alec doing one more visual sweep. 

It was so strange to be back in the apartment. Alec had left just moments before ready for a fight and to defend his loved ones. Instead, he had found desolation. He hated being too late, to just see the carnage left behind, to be left with the clean-up, the questions. Now, all he could do was make sure he helped get Ragnor into Magnus’ room and meet with his fellow Shades to figure out what exactly happened. 

Izzy explained how they had entered the club for the meeting. Everything had gone according to plan, Jace and Ragnor stayed in the office to speak with the Fae. Izzy was on the floor and Clary went aloft to keep eyes on everything. 

The Fae had only been there for around ten minutes when the first wave hit. 

“What about Jace? You said he was injured, was it from a demon, was he lost?” Alec forced himself to ask the question. They all knew that there were worse things than death. A demon could get its teeth into you and drag you to some unknown hell. The thought of it made Alec want to be sick. 

“No, he was… he was taken.” Izzy seemed to struggle with the words. As Clary let out a choking sound. 

“Taken? By whom?” Clearly there had been more than just demons attacking the club. 

“It looked like...” Izzy looked up at Magnus for a second before glancing at the front door like Jace might magically walk through it at any moment. “I could have been wrong, but it looked like…” 

“Who?” Alec could handle the suspense any longer.

“Valentine Morgenstern.” Magnus’ cool voice cut through the conversation. When Alec turned his eyes to him, he looked like he was carved from ice, and his stare was cutting. 


End file.
